Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre continues to face a civil lawsuit arising from a Mississippi welfare scandal. He has not been accused of criminal misconduct.
He apparently is very confident he won’t be.
Via A.J.. Perez of FrontOfficeSports.com, Favre’s lawyers have indicated he will not invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when testifying in the civil lawsuit. The comment was made in connection with an effort by Favre’s lawyers to oppose a an effort by three other defendants to stay the civil case pending the resolution of their criminal cases.
“Favre would be severely prejudiced by a stay,” his lawyer’s wrote. “A stay under these circumstances would unduly delay Favre’s opportunity to have his day in court and clear his name.”
The problem for Favre is that anything he says to clear his name in the civil case could be used against him in a potential criminal case. Or it could spark an investigation for the possibility that Favre failed to tell the truth while under oath in the civil case.
That said, if Favre were to invoke the Fifth Amendment in the civil case, he almost certainly would lose, because he would not be rebutting the evidence introduced against him.
Favre has at all times insisted that he has done nothing wrong in connection with alleged misappropriation of federal welfare funds.
The departure of Dalvin Cook means Alexander Mattison is the No. 1 running back in Minnesota. Mattison says that’s a job he’s ready for.
“For me, it’s a great opportunity to step into the role, the limelight and the position I’ve always dreamt of being in,” Mattison said, via the Star-Tribune. “All the work I’ve put in to this point, all the work following in [Cook’s] footsteps, side by side, challenging each other every day, prepared me for a moment like this where I can have the opportunity to seize what’s in front of me.”
Mattison said he believes Cook will land on his feet and succeed with whatever team signs him. Cook remains a free agent.
But after four seasons as a backup, Mattison is now ready to be a starter, which he now is, for the first time in his NFL career.
Former NFL assistant coach Ray Horton will cap his first season in the USFL with an appearance in the championship game, as head coach of the Pittsburgh Maulers.
Appearing on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, Horton was asked whether he aspires to return to the NFL.
“No, because I don’t think that they want me ,” Horton said. “I’ve proven that I can do this at so many levels.”
He explained that his latest “living resume” is that the took a team that finished in last place in 2022 to the championship game.
Horton joined the Brian Flores lawsuit after it was filed, arguing that the Titans did not give him fair consideration for the head-coaching job that went to Mike Mularkey due to race. Mularkey, for his part, admitted that his hire was essentially an inside job , and that the interview of Horton was a sham.
Horton’s case nevertheless will be complicated by the statute of limitations defense — and by the requirement to arbitration claims from his Titans contract. He had been served as the team’s defensive coordinator.
The Maulers play the Birmingham Stallion at 8:00 p.m. ET on Saturday night for the USFL crown. The game will be televised by NBC.
The Jets will be the first team to hit camp as their veterans report on July 19. The Browns will get underway two days later and the two teams will play each other in the Hall of Fame Game on August 3.
The Chiefs and Lions are the next to get underway as they will play in the first game of the regular season. The dates for rookies and veterans to report to camp for every team can be found below.
Cardinals: Rookies and Veterans 7/25
Falcons: Rookies 7/18, Veterans 7/25
Ravens: Rookies 7/18, Veterans 7/25
Bills: Rookies 7/18, Veterans 7/25
Panthers: Rookies 7/22, Veterans 7/25
Bears: Rookies 7/22, Veterans 7/25
Bengals: Rookies 7/22, Veterans 7/25
Browns: Rookies 7/19, Veterans 7/21
Cowboys: Rookies and Veterans 7/25
Broncos: Rookies 7/19, Veterans 7/25
Lions: Rookies 7/19, Veterans 7/22
Packers: Rookies 7/21, Veterans 7/25
Texans: Rookies and Veterans 7/25
Colts: Rookies and Veterans 7/26
Jaguars: Rookies 7/21, Veterans 7/25
Chiefs: Rookies 7/18, Veterans 7/22
Raiders: Rookies 7/20, Veterans 7/25
Chargers: Rookies 7/18, Veterans 7/25
Rams: Rookies and Veterans 7/25
Dolphins: Rookies 7/18, Veterans 7/25
Vikings: Rookies 7/23, Veterans 7/25
Patriots: Rookies 7/21, Veterans 7/25
Saints: Rookies 7/18, Veterans 7/25
Giants: Rookies 7/18, Veterans 7/25
Jets: Rookies and Veterans 7/19
Eagles: Rookies and Veterans 7/25
Steelers: Rookies and Veterans 7/26
49ers: Rookies 7/18, Veterans 7/25
Seahawks: Rookies and Veterans 7/25
Buccaneers: Rookies 7/24, Veterans 7/25
Titans: Rookies 7/22, Veterans 7/25
Commanders: Rookies 7/21, Veterans 7/25
A report earlier in the day indicated that free agent running back Dalvin Cook has “multiple offers ” on the table. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media suggested the Jets, Dolphins, Broncos and Patriots as potential landing spots.
The Dolphins, indeed, have more than passing interest.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports the Dolphins are one of the teams that has offered Cook. Jackson added that he has no knowledge of the details of the offer.
Cook recently mentioned the Jets and Dolphins, calling the latter “a perfect fit .” Cook is a Miami native who played his college ball at Florida State.
The Vikings cut Cook on June 9 in a cost-cutting move. The four-time Pro Bowler was due to make $11 million in base salary in 2023 and count $14.1 million against the Vikings’ cap.
Cook, 27, has four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, rushing for 5,024 yards the past four years with 43 touchdowns. He has called himself in the “prime prime ” of his career.
He underwent shoulder surgery Feb. 14 in hopes of ending chronic separations.