Brett Favre's Parkinson's disease diagnosis: Everything we know from what he told Congress
Most people know Brett Favre as a legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback and one of the greatest players in NFL history.
Over the last few years, that part of his story has shifted out of the spotlight as he’s made headlines for the wrong reasons.
Today, in quite an unexpected turn of events, Brett Favre told the world that he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease while testifying before Congress about his misuse of hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer dollars.
Here’s everything we know about Favre’s testimony and diagnosis so far.
Brett Favre revealed he has Parkinson’s disease
While testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee, Favre explained that he’d lost an investment in a concussion drug that he “thought would help others.”
He followed up by saying it was too late for him and that he’d been diagnosed with the disease.
Hall-of-Fame QB Brett Favre announced that he recently was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. pic.twitter.com/dU0RL0nmsH
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 24, 2024
“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. This is also a cause dear to my heart,” Favre said.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
According to the National Institutes of Health, Parkinson’s is classified as a brain disorder that can cause “unintended or uncontrollable movements.”
Here’s more on the symptoms from NIH:
“Symptoms usually begin gradually and worsen over time. As the disease progresses, people may have difficulty walking and talking. They may also have mental and behavioral changes, sleep problems, depression, memory difficulties, and fatigue.”
Age is a significant factor in Parkinson’s. Most people with it first develop the disease after age 60, according to NIH, with only about five percent to 10 percent of people experiencing onset before the age of 50.
Favre is 54 years old.
Why did Brett Favre tell this to Congress?
Favre was reportedly paid for speaking engagements he’d never made and, specifically, used Mississippi’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding to develop the new volleyball facility for Southern Miss, where his daughter was a team member.
MORE ON FAVRE: Brett Favre solicited welfare money from the poorest state in the nation
He was called to Congress to congress to explain how this all happened. That’s where his Parkinson’s diagnosis came up. Favre disclosed it within the context of being coaxed into this scheme he claims to have had no knowledge of.
The former QB hasn’t been charged criminally, but he is being made to pay the money back to the state.