(Part 1 of an ongoing series)
As an ethics speaker, ethics consultant and book author, a surprising question often posed to me, is, “Chuck, be honest, how easy is it to lose a reputation?” I am concerned to report that those who generally pose such an inquiry have, themselves, committed ethical missteps and they are fearful that they are perceived as being untrustworthy or flawed.
Unfortunately, those who have worked so hard to build up their position in life, can – and do – fall the hardest when reputation is at stake. It makes sense; they have an established body of work, a media or social media presence, and in many cases money or fame or both.
Let me give everyone an ongoing example from the sports ethics world as I speak in a business or sports ethics capacity, and all too frequently, those worlds intersect. There is the business of sports and often, sports figures in business.
Brett Favre
Let’s get one important detail out of the way: Brett Favre is an extraordinarily wealthy man. He doesn’t need to work another day in his life. With a net worth in excess of $100 million and an annual endorsement plus media work, he earns about $7 million a year. He and his family live in Mississippi, a state that usually vies with New Mexico for the poorest states in the nation.
The dynamic is breathtaking because at one end we have the Favre’s and at the other, people living well below the poverty line with limited access to lousy healthcare, food and shelter,
Brett Favre sits where he sits because for many years, he could throw a football better than almost anyone else on the planet. The skill carried him far.
Brett Favre played NFL football from 1991-2010 for the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings. His honors are easily found online. He was elected to the HOF in 2016.
Right now, Favre, with everything to gain by leading an ethical life, is caught up in the biggest welfare scandal the state of Mississippi has ever seen. He is not alone in this alleged fraud but he is in a miserable spotlight of his own making.
Civil lawsuit
State officials have filed a lawsuit against Brett Favre and several co-conspirators to recover money lost due to a possible welfare fraud scam.
According to reporter Harold Gater of the Mississippi Clarion Ledger (September 27, 2022):
“Text messages entered in the lawsuit show that then-governor Phil Bryant was involved in the scheme and even guided Favre on how to write a funding proposal so that it could be accepted by the Mississippi Department of Human Services. Bryant is not among those named in the state’s civil lawsuit.”
Gater further noted that the money applied for in the nonprofit group in which Favre participated, was called the Mississippi Community Education Center. It was fraudulent. Allegedly, the money should have gone to poor families on welfare.
Favre allegedly maneuvered and diverted the funds to a new volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi. Favre’s daughter is on the volleyball team and, of course both Favre and his pal the ex-governor were alumni.
In a CNN report that was briefly aired on September 26, 2022, it was alleged that Favre was told by advisors that using funds from the Mississippi Community Education Center, to build a volleyball gymnasium was probably illegal. He seems to have disregarded the advise.
Near the top of privilege
As an ethics speaker, ethics consultant and book author, I am not surprised that ex-politicians, executive directors of state agencies and a man of Favre’s reputation, might come together to launch a plan of this nature.
Privilege frequently leads people to believe they are impervious to prosecution. By the way, already charged with an admission of guilt was John Davis, the former executive director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
Both he and the fund’s former administrator have agreed to testify against other co-conspirators, including the ex-governor to save themselves from Federal prison. Four others, currently unnamed, were said to participate. If they name Favre, it is bound to dirty his reputation no matter the outcome of the case.
At this time, Brett Favre’s media appearance and radio show have been placed on hold. The loss of reputation has already started to have an effect.
There is something about privilege and deification that resonate throughout this case of fraud. In the world of sports, perhaps in the entire world of celebrity, NFL quarterbacks are placed on absurd pedestals. A HOF quarterback is courted as few others except when unethical behavior manifests itself.
Given his wealth, Favre could have helped to fund the new volleyball facility out of his own pocket. Instead, he allegedly chose to take money designated for the poorest, and divert it to a gymnasium devoted to a game. Sometimes the need for power removes all reason.
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