Judge Dismisses Brett Favre Defamation Suit, Saying Shannon Sharpe Used Hyperbole Over Welfare Money

Judge Dismisses Brett Favre Defamation Suit, Saying Shannon Sharpe Used Hyperbole Over Welfare Money

JACKSON, Miss.—A federal judge on Monday dismissed Brett Favre’s defamation lawsuit against fellow retired NFL player Shannon Sharpe, ruling that Mr. Sharpe used constitutionally protected speech on a sports broadcast when he criticized Mr. Favre’s connection to a welfare misspending case in Mississippi. U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett ruled that Mr. Sharpe, a former tight end, was using “rhetorical hyperbole” in saying on air that Mr. Favre …