Brett Favre revealed Tuesday that he’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease while testifying to Congress about his potential misuse of taxpayer money. The former Green Bay Packers quarterback, 54, appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee to testify after being accused of using his political connections to redirect public money not only to his alma mater but also to himself.
“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others, and I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late for me because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s,” Favre said during his testimony. He continued, “This is also a cause dear to my heart. Recently, the doctor running the company pleaded guilty to taking [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)] money for his own use.”
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Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms can include tremors, stiffness, slowing of movement, and trouble with balance.
Favre’s testimony comes amid a widespread Mississippi welfare case alleging that at least $77 million in TANF funds originally meant for poor families were instead diverted to wealthy and powerful people, which was discovered in a 2019 Mississippi state audit.
Tuesday, Favre testified about his involvement as the top investor for Prevacus, a company making a concussion drug that received $2 million of TANF funds. Text message evidence shows he was asking state officials for help obtaining funds for the company as early as November 2018. Meanwhile, Prevacus founder Jacob VanLandingham pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July after admitting that he had used Mississippi welfare money to pay off gambling and other personal debts.
Favre has spoken about his experience with concussions in the past, revealing in a 2022 interview with Bubba the Love Sponge that he believed he had suffered more than 1,000 concussions in his Hall of Famer career.
“The thing about concussions is we still don’t know a lot about them,” Favre said at the time. “If you had asked me this 10 years ago, how many concussions I had, I would’ve said three. The reason I would have said three, I thought concussions were where you get knocked out, where you black out for a period of time you don’t know where you are, memory loss, dizzy. A boxer gets knocked and tries to get up, his legs are rubber, that’s a concussion.”
“What we now know is concussions happen all the time,” the NFL alum said. “You get tackled and your head hits the turf, you see the flashes of light or ringing in your ears, but you’re able to play. Based on that, thousands, had to be, because every time my head hit the turf, there was ringing or stars going, flash bulbs, but I was still able to play.”
