Former NFL star quarterback Brett Favre has a bone to pick with former tight end Shannon Sharpe. Or more accurately, Favre is reviving his defamation suit against Sharpe. The two are former teammates with the Green Bay Packers.
Per the Associated Press:
"Lawyers for retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre asked a federal appeals court Tuesday to revive a defamation lawsuit Favre filed against a fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame member, former tight end Shannon Sharpe, amid the backdrop of a Mississippi welfare scandal that is one of the state's largest public corruption cases.
"A federal judge in Mississippi threw out the lawsuit in October, saying Sharpe used constitutionally protected speech on a sports broadcast when he criticized Favre's connection to the welfare misspending case.
"Favre lawyer Amit Vora told three 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges in New Orleans that the lawsuit should be revived, arguing that Sharpe accused Favre, who has not been charged with a crime, of theft."
Sharpe connected the ex-QB to the crimes during a television segment. Sharpe used to be with Fox Sports and is now with ESPN.
"Sharpe attorney Joseph Terry told the judges that Sharpe's remarks were clearly an opinion offered when he was asked about a news report on the Mississippi welfare scandal and how the reports will affect Favre's legacy," the Associated Press wrote.
The panel has given no indication when it may rule on the revived suit.
"U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett's October ruling said Sharpe's remarks about the case were constitutionally protected 'rhetorical hyperbole,'" the AP wrote.
