The Mississippi state auditor said Favre never gave the speeches and demanded the money back, with interest.
In an interview with the website Mississippi Today, Bryant said he never knew the grants came from welfare money.
The former head of the state welfare agency, John Davis, has pleaded not guilty to state charges of bribery and conspiracy, and law enforcement officials say the investigations continue.
Favre defended himself in a series of tweets last year against allegations from White, the state auditor, that he accepted state money for speeches he never intended to give.
Marcus Dupree, a former college football star, also received $370,000 in welfare funds, which prosecutors say partly went to fund his horse ranch.