In a continued legal saga, former NFL quarterback Brett Favre is making efforts to revive a defamation lawsuit against Hall-of-Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe. The lawsuit was initially dismissed last year after a federal judge ruled that Sharpe's comments were protected by the First Amendment.

Favre had filed defamation lawsuits against both Sharpe and Pat McAfee last year in relation to their remarks regarding his alleged involvement in a multi-million-dollar Mississippi welfare scandal. However, both lawsuits were ultimately dismissed in 2023. Undeterred, Favre is now attempting to have his case against Sharpe reinstated.

On Tuesday, Favre's lawyer, Amit Vora, presented arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans in a bid to revive the case. The focus of the dispute centers on Sharpe's statements made during a September 2022 broadcast of FS1's Undisputed.

After Favre was implicated in a civil suit filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services in 2022, Sharpe publicly commented that Favre was "taking from the underserved" and had "stolen money from people that really needed that money." These remarks were made during what Favre's legal team deemed a "serious segment" on the show alongside Skip Bayless.

Favre's attorney argued that Sharpe's statements were actionable defamation, claiming that a reasonable listener would interpret the word "steal" literally rather than figuratively. They contended that Sharpe's words went beyond rhetorical hyperbole and were defamatory in nature.

However, Sharpe's legal representatives countered by asserting that their client is a "colorful sports personality" and that his comments were transparently hyperbolic and figurative. They maintained that Sharpe's statements were protected by the First Amendment.

It is worth noting that the standard for defamation in the United States imposes a high bar of "actual malice" for public figures, such as Sharpe, to be held legally liable. The panel of judges, consisting of Leslie Southwick, Kyle Duncan, and Jeremy Kernodle, did not indicate when they would deliver their ruling on the appeal.

Favre's legal battle comes after he was named in the civil suit filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services, where he was accused of receiving funds improperly from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families as part of a significant public embezzlement scandal. Favre denies any knowledge of the origin of the funds and has not faced criminal charges in connection to the matter.

As the legal proceedings continue, the fate of Favre's defamation case against Shannon Sharpe remains uncertain.