Brett Favre revealed on Tuesday that he was “recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease” during his testimony at a congressional hearing on federal welfare reform.
The Football Hall of Famer was speaking before the House Ways and Means Committee that was discussing “guardrails” regarding dispersing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds, which saw nearly $8 million go to Favre, a volleyball stadium at University of Southern Mississippi, his alma mater, and Prevacus, a defunct drug company backed by the longtime NFL quarterback.
“Sadly, I also lost my investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre said during the House hearing on Tuesday “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.”
Favre, who played 20 NFL seasons, including 321 consecutive regular season and playoff games, said during a 2022 interview on the The Bubba Army radio show that he estimated he suffered “thousands” of concussions during his football career.
Parkinson’s disease is a condition that causes deterioration in the brain and affects motor skills. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, over one million people in the United States live with the disease and nearly 90,000 are diagnosed each year.
This story will be updated.
Favre allegedly accepted $1.1 million in federal TANF funds through the state of Mississippi. He allegedly accepted those funds in exchange for no-show speeches dating back to 2017. Favre also allegedly worked with a nonprofit organizer and former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to send $5 million in TANF funds to build a new volleyball arena at Southern Miss while his daughter played for the team.
Favre was not arrested, and is not facing any criminal charges in the matter. He is one of 47 “well-connected people” who funneled $77 million in funds away from their intended recipients in one of the poorest states in the country, federal prosecutors alleged.
Favre initially repaid $500,000 of his initial payment to Mississippi in May 2020 and the remaining $600,000 in October 2021. The state has been going after the interest ever since. Favre, who has said he didn’t realize the funds used at Southern Miss were intended for welfare recipients, has filed a defamation lawsuit against White.
“I wanted to help my alma mater and benefit the community,” Favre told Congress. “Southern Miss introduced me to the nonprofit to see if they could help with funding. I had no way of knowing that there was anything wrong with how the state funded the project especially since it was publicly approved by many state agencies and multiple attorneys including the Attorney General.”
