Washington. Brett Favre has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, Favre himself said Tuesday. quarterback retired from the NFL before a United States Congressional committee.
Favre, who turns 55 next month, revealed the diagnosis while testifying about a scandal involving millions of dollars in welfare resources wasted in Mississippi.
Favre, who does not face criminal charges in the case, has repaid just over $1 million he received in speaking fees funded by a state welfare program. In addition, the retired athlete was an investor in a biotechnology company linked to the case.
The biotechnology firm has indicated it was working on concussion treatments.
The former Green Bay Packers star told the commission that he lost his investment in a company that he believed “was going to develop a new concussion medicine that was going to help others.”
“As you surely understand, while it is too late for me — I was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s — this is a cause that is close to my heart,” Favre said.
It is unknown what causes Parkinson’s disease, and it is unclear whether Favre’s disorder is related to his football career or blows to the head. In 2022, he stated that he estimated he had suffered “thousands” of concussions in his decades of activity in the NFL.
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, scientists believe that the disease is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The latter “could include head injuries, exposure to pesticides, or residence in certain locations.”
Favre “is one of 90,000 people in the United States who will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease this year alone,” said John Lehr, CEO of the Foundation.
In the 2022 interview, Favre said he initially thought the number of concussions he had suffered while playing football was low. However, he commented that he had realized that it could have been much higher, once he learned about these cases and knew that they can occur without the need for someone to become unconscious.
During a game in 2004, Favre suffered a concussion, but returned after missing only two plays. He then threw a touchdown pass, without being given the go-ahead to play again.
Favre appeared before a GOP-controlled House Ways and Means Committee hearing on reforms to the federal welfare system to prevent fraud.
“The situation that my family and I have had to face over the past three years — as certain government officials in Mississippi failed to protect federal funds from acts of fraud and waste, and unjustifiably try to blame me, that situation has tarnished my good name and exceeds the worst thing I faced in my football career,” Favre said.
Favre claims he was unaware that the payments he received came from welfare funds and noted that his charitable foundation has distributed millions of dollars in aid to poor children in his native Mississippi and in Wisconsin, where he spent most of his career with the Packers.
After playing for the University of Southern Mississippi, Favre began his long career with Green Bay, winning Super Bowl XXXI. He was traded in 2008 to the New York Jets before playing his final two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
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– 2024-10-01 21:17:31
