Favre reveals Parkinson's diagnosis at Congressional hearing
Published
Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback revealed during his prepared remarks at a Congressional hearing on welfare reform Tuesday.
Favre, 54, gave testimony in front of a House Ways and Means Committee hearing focusing on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds dispersion after Favre himself received $8 million from the fund to build a volleyball facility at his alma mater, Southern Mississippi, and invest in Prevacus, a drug company, that has since gone out of business.
“Sadly, I also lost my investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre read. “As I’m sure you’ll understand, while it’s too late for me—I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s—this is also a cause dear to my heart.”
A native of Gulfport, MS, Favre appeared in 302 games over 20 NFL seasons with the Packers, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings, retiring after the 2010 season at the age of 41.
An 11-time Pro Bowler and three-time Most Valuable Player, Favre won Super Bowl XXXI with the Packers in 1997. He was inducted into Canton in 2016.
Favre has not been criminally charged, but he is one of more than 40 defendants in a lawsuit filed by Mississippi's Department of Human Services in an attempt to recoup the nearly $100 million in misspent TANF funds.