According to reports, Favre is well-acquainted with the long-lasting, devastating effects of sports-related head injuries. He was an investor and spokeswoman for a company that researches and develops concussion treatments. Favre hoped that Prevacus, a Florida-based company would locate its drug in Mississippi. Mississippi is home to some of the most talented athletes in the nation. Then-Gov. Phil Bryant. The Mississippi Development Authority is usually responsible for recruiting businesses to the state. According to a Mississippi Today calendar invitation obtained by a public records request, Bryant and Favre requested that officials from the Mississippi Department of Human Services meet to discuss concussion research. It is not clear how the human services department was chosen as the point of contact for the Jan. 2, 2019, meeting at Nancy New’s office by John Davis, at that time the agency’s director. Bryant stated to Mississippi Today that he was not present at the meeting and didn’t recommend Human Services participate in the concussion project. Bryant wrote to Mississippi Today that he directed any presenter who presented an idea to partner with the state government to be reviewed by the appropriate agency and then disposed of them by subject-matter specialists. According to another calendar invite, Davis had scheduled a second meeting with Favre in Hattiesburg in May 2019. Bryant called Favre a friend via social media. Favre said that he knew Davis for many years. According to a State Auditor release, although Prevacus was not relocated to Mississippi at the January meeting, it did occur weeks before state investigators said that Davis, Nancy New, and Zach New took $2.15million in welfare money to make personal investments in Prevacus. According to court documents, the alleged fraud took place just after the Jan. 18-Oct. 7, 2019 meeting. The invite to the calendar gives new insight into the events that led to Hinds County grand juries indicting Davis and News in connection with what State Auditor ShadWhite called a “sprawling conspiracies”. They have pleaded not guilty. White credits Bryant with being the whistleblower in this case. The case is so complex that Bryant was also credited as the whistleblower. Favre was also seeking support for construction of a volleyball centre at the University of Southern Mississippi. The majority of the cost of the project was funded by Nancy New’s Mississippi Community Education Center, Mississippi Today reported last Wednesday. In the January 2019 email, Davis stated to his colleague that Bryant and Favre requested a meeting to discuss the two projects. Auditor White stated that he knew of a meeting between Bryant, Favre and but declined to comment further as the investigation continues. Favre and Bus Cook, his agent who also served on Prevacus’ advisory board, didn’t return multiple calls to Mississippi Today in the past three weeks. “(T)his is all about economic development. Favre sent Monday’s text to a Mississippi Today reporter. “My hope was/is to have the Mississippi concussion medication manufactured here!” Favre replied, “I met John through our Southern miss connections many years ago, and our conversations were about the same things Governor Bryant and me discussed.” It is economic development. Watchdogs for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (also known as welfare) have warned for years that states can use it as a slush money for pet projects because of its lack of oversight. LaDonna Pavetti, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities vice president for Family Income Support Policy, said that TANF is the only program with as many controls as it does. As the state agency provided welfare programs for fewer people, it didn’t spend all the grant money it received from federal agencies over the years. In 2016, $47 million of unutilized welfare dollars remained in the state’s coffers. Pavetti stated that it’s not just that funds are available, but that there is also money available that has very little accountability. The sudden growth of Nancy New’s non-profit — both in government influence and in physical offices — began in 2017, when the welfare agency began awarding TANF contracts to the group worth tens or millions of dollars. Nancy New was involved in many areas of state government. She had been involved in the school choice movement, the foster care system, the new training system for child care centers and crafting a comprehensive plan to run the welfare agency. Deborah Bryant, former First Lady, was a frequent attendee at events that celebrated Nancy New’s achievements. She also spoke at one the most recent ribbon cuttings of the nonprofit’s new State Street Center in Jackson last September while an investigation into the welfare program continued. New was a regular on conservative-talk radio station SuperTalk. A Facebook post shows that she visited Favre and Davis at this station in 2018. New’s non-profit paid $5 million to the University of Southern Mississippi’s Athletic Foundation in 2017 as it received its first multimillion-dollar welfare contract from Human Services. This money was used to build the Wellness Center, a new volleyball stadium. The agreement allowed the nonprofit to rent all University athletic facilities for “activities that benefit area’s underserved populations.” Mississippi Today reported the first time this was reported February 26. Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today. Report For America Nancy New was a member of the foundation’s board, while another member of the athletic foundation board sat on New’s board. According to records, the University hosted only one event as a result of the agreement with the athletic foundation. It was a Healthy Teens rally at coliseum on October 2018. Mississippi Community Education Center stated in a statement that the Wellness Center was only recently open and had not yet been able to offer programming. The services that this project will provide are extensive and will benefit students, families and individuals in south Mississippi. MCEC intends to continue providing the services and programs outlined in this agreement, should MCEC have sufficient funding.” Cassandra Williams, a representative, stated that the nonprofit is still operating with 25 employees. However, it has shut down its Jackson office and Hattiesburg office. Williams stated by email that they are still figuring out which services we can offer with the staff we have. According to the nonprofit, the state agency, which included Jacob Black, served as interim director from this week. However, Danny Blanton, spokesperson for the department, stated that no one at the agency has “any idea” about a volleyball centre. Blanton stated Monday that agency representatives provided advice to the university and nonprofit on how to structure the lease to comply with federal guidelines. However, Blanton claimed that no one at the agency has ever seen a copy the $5 million final lease. The federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant, also known as welfare, is broad enough to allow states to use it to achieve one of four goals: Provide cash assistance to low-income families, encourage employment, prevent unwedlock pregnancies, and encourage two-parent families. The TANF regulations prohibit the use of the funds for medical care or construction of new buildings. Six months after the construction of the Wellness Center, Davis scheduled a meeting with Nancy New and Ted DiBiase Jr. at the University of Southern Mississippi. According to Mississippi Today, the university received $840,000 in TANF subgrants for 2018 from the department. The email stated that USM wanted to express their gratitude to Ted and Mr. Davis. In the subject line, the email contained Jon Gilbert’s misspelled name as former athletic director of the university. Gilbert told Mississippi Today via email that he wasn’t aware of the meeting and had not attended it. Bryant presented Nancy New with the Mississippi Meritorious Civilian Service Award that month. This is the second highest honor that the governor bestows. Soon after, Davis sent DiBiase another invitation on New Year’s Day 2019, an ex-professional wrestler who was also a motivational speaker. The nonprofit was funding workplace training for state workers. Human Services granted welfare grants totaling more than $2,000,000 directly to DiBiase’s father Ted, a professional wrestler who is now a Christian minister. Clarion Ledger first reported. Indicted in the scheme was another son, Brett DiBiase. According to indictments, Davis is accused of funneling taxpayer money to pay for Brett DiBiase’s substance abuse treatment at a Malibu facility. According to Davis’ calendar, he included Ted DiBiase Jr. in a variety of activities, including broad planning meetings for department, meetings of other government agencies, radio spots and tours of non-profits, conferences out-of-state, and even gym sessions. Human Services employees gave information about possible fraud to Bryant in June 2019. Bryant relayed the information on to Shad White, State Auditor. Davis announced his abrupt retirement in July. Bryant appointed an ex-FBI agent to replace Davis. Photo by @PhilBryantMS. Bryant stated in a statement to Mississippi Today that he demanded honesty and integrity from his staff and cabinet members. Bryant also said that if there was any reason to doubt whether these standards were being met, he took immediate action. Blanton stated that Davis was often acting without the approval of other agency officials. Since then, the department has enacted policies to stop the director unilaterally dispensing welfare money. Gov. Tate Reeves announced Wednesday that Bob Anderson, a former federal prosecutor who was most recently the director for the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at the State Attorney General’s Office, has been appointed to head Human Services. For this story, Nancy New, Ted Dibiase Jr., and Jake Vanlandingham (Sr. and Prevacus Owner) did not return multiple calls or emails to Mississippi Today. Zach New’s attorney Franklin Rosenblatt and Davis’ attorney Merrida Cxwell declined to comment. John Colette, Brett DiBiase’s attorney, declined to comment._x000D