Shannon Sharpe is officially off the hook, as a judge recently dismissed Brett Favre‘s defamation lawsuit against the sports commentator.
RELATED: Brett Favre Sues Shannon Sharpe & Others For Defamation Amid Mississippi Welfare Scandal
Brett Favre Sued Shannon Over His Commentary On The Mississippi Welfare Scandal
AP News reports that a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit on Monday (October 30). As The Shade Room previously reported, Brett brought the matter on after catching wind of Shannon Sharpe’s pointed commentary regarding Favre’s alleged involvement in the Mississippi welfare funds scandal.
Specifically, Sharpe said Favre was a “sorry mofo to steal from the lowest of the low.” He also said Brett “stole money from people that really needed that money” before calling him a “sleazeball.” Oop!
Now, Judge Keith Starrett has ruled that Shannon’s statements were an example of “rhetorical hyperbole” and protected by Americans’ first-amendment right to freedom of speech.
Additionally, the judge declared that Shannon Sharpe’s critiques “are examples of protected, colorful speech referring to needy families in Mississippi.”
“Here, no reasonable person listening to the Broadcast would think that Favre actually went into the homes of poor people and took their money — that he committed the crime of theft/larceny against any particular poor person in Mississippi.”
Shannon Sharpe Says He’s “Glad” To Put The Matter Behind Him
In response to the development, Shannon tweeted, “The court found the statements were protected by the 1st Amendment 2 the Constitution.”
He gratefully added, “Thanks 2 my legal team and their handling of this case.”
The United States District Court 4 the Southern District of Mississippi 2day dismissed Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against me. The court found the statements were protected by the 1st Amendment 2 the Constitution. Thanks 2 my legal team and their handling of this case. 🙏🏾🙏🏾
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) October 31, 2023
The sports commentator further discussed the matter on his podcast with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Nightcap with Unc and Ocho.
Sharpe noted that the defamation suit had been dismissed, as “the court found that [his] speech was first-amendment protected.”
After acknowledging that he was “glad” to have the situation over and done with, Shannon Sharpe added, “Hopefully, the people in Mississippi have their day in court and everything gets worked out about what transpired down there.”
