Brett Favre has just told Congress he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease while giving his testimony during a hearing on federal welfare reform.
The hearing was held on Tuesday and was set up by House Ways and Means Committee to focus on establishing a better system for the release of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. Favre made headlines when he was given eight million, which was also dispersed to his Alma mater and Prevacus, a drug company he supported. Because of that, Favre was listed as a defendant in a civil suit by the Department of Human Services in Mississippi in 2022, claiming the misuse of welfare funds.
While speaking on Prevacus, Favre revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis and admitted to losing out on an investment in the company. According to Favre, it’s “too late” for him to continue supporting the company.
“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre said during the hearing. “I’m sure you’ll understand, while it’s too late for me because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, this is also a cause dear to my heart.”
A Boston University study on CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2023 discovered that football players had a 61 percent greater risk of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Another study published in Family Medicine and Community Health Journal in 2020 states that a single concussion can boost the possibility of having Parkinson’s by 57 percent.
In his career, Favre suffered over 1,000 concussions while also setting the record for consecutive games played (321 games, including the playoffs), three league MVP trophies, and won a Super Bowl title during the 1996 season.
Favre has since maintained his innocence, claiming he didn’t know the funds he received came from the TANF and made sure to say that he has given back to families in need by donating millions of dollars through his charity