Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre has sued three different people, so far, for defamation arising from comments made regarding Favre’s role in a Mississippi welfare-fund controversy.
One of them thought the letters sent by Favre’s lawyers before the case was filed were a joke.
“Honestly, I was like, ‘Oh, this has gotta be fake,’” former NFL punter and current broadcaster Pat McAfee recently told A.J. Perez of FrontOfficeSports.com. “I thought it was like [WWE commentator] Michael Cole or maybe [former NFL kicker Adam] Vinatieri. There are humans in my life who would certainly go through a lot of things just to be like, ‘Oh, I got you.’ I thought it was a rib. . . . But I guess this is real life. It’s part of my life now, you know?”
Indeed it is. McAfee officially removed the case against him from state court to federal court on Friday.
In the letters sent before the case was filed, Favre’s lawyers demanded that McAfee retract his comments and apologize to Favre. Favre’s lawyers also wanted any episodes mentioning Favre to be expunged.
McAfee, once he realized the letters were legitimate, declined to do so.
McAfee told Perez that 50 different lawyers offered to represent him. He eventually hired the firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, which has more than 600 lawyers in 10 offices in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and D.C.
The fight eventually will play out with Favre being questioned under oath in a deposition, and with McAfee also being interrogated under oath. There will be other efforts to delve into McAfee’s comments about Favre and, most importantly, whether the comments were true.
McAfee’s lawyers also will explore all aspects of Favre’s reputation before McAfee made his statements, since damages are determined by comparing his reputation before the alleged defamation and after it.
It could be protracted, and if so it will be expensive. Barring a settlement or a dismissal, it will eventually play out in court. While every court has its own timeline, it would make sense for now to expect a potential trial within the next twelve to eighteen months.