Brett Favre, a celebrated figure in the National Football League (NFL), recently revealed his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis during a congressional hearing on welfare reform and misuse. The 54-year-old former quarterback discussed his diagnosis in the context of his investment in Prevacus, a now-defunct company that was working on a novel treatment for concussions.
The hearing, conducted by the House Ways and Means Committee, emphasized the need for more stringent controls on the distribution of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. Favre expressed his disappointment over his diagnosis and his inability to benefit from the potential breakthrough drug, stating that the cause was deeply personal to him.
Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the nervous system that affects movement and progressively worsens over time. Currently, there is no known cure for the disease.
Favre’s testimony comes in the aftermath of his involvement in the 2020 Mississippi welfare scandal. He was among those accused of misusing welfare funds for personal projects, including the construction of a new volleyball center at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre played football and his daughter played volleyball.
Favre, who had a 20-year career in the NFL, previously stated that he suffered “thousands” of concussions during his professional career. He made this revelation during an appearance on “The Bubba Army” radio show in August 2022. Favre holds the record for playing in 299 consecutive games out of his 302-game NFL career.
In a 2018 interview on “TODAY” with Megyn Kelly, Favre admitted that his short-term memory and word retrieval skills had deteriorated. He expressed concern about whether these symptoms were signs of early stages of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a brain condition associated with repeated blows to the head.
Favre, who spent the majority of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers and also played for the Falcons, Jets, and Vikings, won a Super Bowl with Green Bay in 1997 and received three consecutive MVP awards from 1995-97. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016. Favre ended his career with a total of 6,300 completions, 10,169 attempts, 71,838 yards, and 508 touchdowns.