NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre has revealed that he’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The 54-year-old quarterback shared the sad news while testifying at a congressional hearing on welfare misspending and reform, NBC News reports.
During his testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee, Favre didn’t just address the Mississippi welfare scandal he’s been tied to — he dropped a bombshell about his health.
"Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug," Favre said. "I'm sure you'll understand, while it's too late for me because I've recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's, this is also a cause dear to my heart."
Parkinson’s disease, a movement disorder with no known cure, can cause tremors, stiffness, and difficulty with coordination — symptoms that worsen over time, per the Mayo Clinic.
But Favre’s testimony wasn’t just about his health. He was there to answer tough questions about his involvement in the Mississippi welfare scandal.
Favre, who found himself at the center of the controversy, was accused of misusing funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, money meant to support low-income families. Per the New York Post, prosecutors say some of that cash was used for personal projects, like a new volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi — Favre’s alma mater, where his daughter also played volleyball.
While Favre has not been criminally charged, he’s been forced to pay back some of the money after a state auditor discovered he had been paid for speaking engagements he never actually made. On Tuesday, Favre insisted he didn’t know the money came from taxpayers and maintained that he did nothing wrong.
US Rep. Linda Sanchez, a Democrat from California, wasn’t buying Favre's emotional testimony. She called for her Republican colleagues to support reforms to prevent wealthy individuals like Favre from taking advantage of programs meant for the most vulnerable.
Favre, who is already well-known for his record-breaking NFL career, has been open about the long-term damage from his time on the field.
He revealed last year that he’s suffered "thousands" of concussions during his career. “Concussions happen all the time,” Favre said in an interview on The Bubba Army radio show in August 2022. "You get tackled and your head hits the turf, you see flashes of light or ringing in your ears, but you’re able to play... That’s a concussion."
And back in 2018, he opened up on TODAY with Megyn Kelly, admitting that his short-term memory and word retrieval skills had started to deteriorate. "I could go back and call the high school plays I ran... But I find that more short-term memory — someone I met six months ago — in other words, it has gotten a lot worse,” he shared at the time.
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Favre’s legacy on the field is undeniable. A Super Bowl champ with the Green Bay Packers, three-time MVP, and record-holder for most consecutive starts in NFL history (299 games, by the way), he’s undoubtedly one of football’s greats. But his latest chapter, battling Parkinson’s while defending himself in court, adds a new and unexpected layer to his story.
