(NEXSTAR) — Legendary quarterback Brett Favre says he was “recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease” while speaking at a congressional hearing on Tuesday.
Favre, 54, is testifying at a hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee examining welfare reform, according to The Hill. The former quarterback has been accused of using Temporary Assistance for Needy Families state funds for corporate gains.
Favre previously told The Bubba Army radio show that during his football career — which spanned 20 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, the Green Bay Packers, the New York Jets, and the Minnesota Vikings — he believes he suffered “thousands” of concussions, Yahoo Sports reports.
Speaking to the House committee on Tuesday, Favre said he “lost an investment in a company” he believed was developing a “breakthrough concussion drug.”
“I thought [it] 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,” he said Tuesday. “This is also a cause dear to my heart.”
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s is described as a movement disorder of the nervous system that can worsen over time, the Mayo Clinic explains. An estimated 500,000 Americans have Parkinson’s disease, though that number may be much higher as cases are misdiagnosed or undiagnosed.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the only known causes of Parkinson’s disease are genetic. There have been at least seven genes linked to Parkinson’s disease, but only about 10% of all diagnosed cases are connected to a familial cause.
Cases that are not linked to genetics are considered idiopathic, which means it’s unclear why it’s happening. It is believed, however, that idiopathic Parkinson’s disease is linked to a body’s problems with using a certain protein.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s can include tremors, often in the hands or fingers; slowed movement; rigid muscles; poor posture and balance; changes to a person’s speech and writing abilities; loss of automatic movements like blinking or smiling; and nonmotor symptoms, like anxiety, depression, and sleep problems.
While there is no cure for Parkinson’s, some medicines, surgeries, and other therapies have been found to relieve symptoms, according to the National Institute of Aging. That can include medications that provide additional dopamine to the brain or “control non-movement symptoms,” deep brain stimulation, and exercises for strengthening muscles and improving balance.
The Mississippi TANF scandal
Favre has been accused of receiving more than $1 million in speaking fees that were put toward a volleyball area at his alma mater, The University of Southern Mississippi, which is also where his daughter was a student. Those speaking fees were from a nonprofit organization accused of spending TANF money with approval from the state’s Department of Human Services, according to The Associated Press. Favre has repaid those fees.
Additional funds were also directed toward Prevacus, the company working on concussion medication where Favre was an investor, an audit found.
The Mississippi Department of Human Services filed a civil lawsuit against the Pro Football Hall of Famer and other defendants, but Favre has not been criminally charged.
In 2022, after news of the scandal broke, Favre said in a statement that he was not aware “that funds designated for welfare recipients were going to the University or me.”
On Tuesday, Favre echoed those sentiments, claiming Mississippi officials “failed to protect federal TANF funds from fraud and abuse” and are “unjustifiably trying to blame me,” posing challenges for himself and his family.
“Those challenges have hurt my good name and are worse than anything I have faced in football,” he added. Favre went on to call TANF funds one of the “most important” welfare programs in the country.
Favre spent 16 years with the Packers after being drafted by the Falcons in 1991. He played for the Jets for one season before spending his last two with the Vikings. Favre led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory in 1997 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.