Brett Favre, the Hall of Fame quarterback who led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl win in 1997, disclosed during Congressional testimony on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The 54-year-old Favre made his announcement while appearing before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee during a hearing focused on welfare accountability and reform.
Since 2020, Favre has been at the center of a controversy involving the misuse of public welfare funds in Mississippi, his home state. Audits have shown that funds meant for struggling families were diverted to pay Favre and support projects he endorsed, such as the construction of a volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter played.
Additionally, Favre was involved in an investment with Prevacus, a pharmaceutical company that claimed to be developing a concussion treatment drug.
“I thought it would help others,” he stated during the hearing. “It was too late for me because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.”
Favre has maintained that he was unaware the funds were meant for welfare purposes. To date, he has not faced any criminal charges related to this controversy and has filed a defamation lawsuit against Mississippi state officials concerning the matter.
Parkinson’s disease is a neurological disorder that can lead to tremors, as well as issues with movement, balance, and speech. There is currently no cure, and symptoms generally worsen over time.
Research has linked Parkinson’s and other brain disorders, such as dementia, to a history of concussions. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease, has been diagnosed in numerous former NFL players posthumously, as their brains were donated for research.
In a 2018 interview on Today, Favre indicated he had suffered “three or four” concussions during his NFL tenure from 1991 to 2010. However, he later acknowledged that with advancements in concussion research, he realized he likely experienced many more.
“When you have ringing in the ears or see stars — that’s a concussion. If that’s a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, probably thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening,” Favre remarked at the time.