Brett Favre says he has been identified with Parkinson’s illness, a surprising revelation made whereas he was testifying in entrance of Congress on Tuesday, Sept. 24, about his alleged pocketing of public funds.
The previous three-time NFL MVP, 54, appeared in entrance of Congress amid a Mississippi lawsuit that claims he and dozens of others took cash meant to go to welfare packages and as a substitute pocketed it for private use. Favre has denied the allegations and has not been criminally charged.
The retired Inexperienced Bay Packers star was testifying in entrance of the Home Methods and Means Committee about Prevacus, an organization researching a treatment for concussions, which he had raised cash for lately. Favre reportedly satisfied Mississippi state lawmakers to present him $2 million in Non permanent Help for Needy Households (TANF) funds for the corporate, which a lawsuit in opposition to him claims he as a substitute used for himself.
“Sadly, I additionally misplaced an funding in an organization that I believed was growing a breakthrough concussion drug I assumed would assist others, and I’m certain you’ll perceive why it’s too late for me as a result of I’ve lately been identified with Parkinson’s,” Favre reportedly instructed lawmakers, in keeping with NBC Information, ESPN and Fox Information.
“That is additionally a trigger pricey to my coronary heart. Lately, the physician operating the corporate pleaded responsible to taking [public] cash for his personal use,” Favre stated.
Parkinson’s is a mind illness that impacts an individual’s nervous system, inflicting uncontrollable bodily actions corresponding to shaking, in addition to making it troublesome to talk, in keeping with the Mayo Clinic. There’s at the moment no treatment for the dysfunction.
AP Picture/Mark Schiefelbein
The revelation got here as Congress was questioning Favre in regards to the Mississippi Division of Human Providers’ lawsuit in opposition to the longtime Inexperienced Bay Packers quarterback and 40 others.
The Mississippi lawsuit was filed following an investigation by the state’s auditor, Shad White, which had found about $77 million in TANF funds from 2016-2019 allegedly went to tasks led by Favre and others as a substitute of to households in want, the Related Press and NBC Information reported final 12 months.
AP Picture/Mark Schiefelbein
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Favre, who has denied the allegations in opposition to him, is accused of plotting with ex-Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant to make use of a minimum of $5 million of the funds with a purpose to assist construct a volleyball stadium on the College of Southern Mississippi, his alma mater and the college the place his daughter performed volleyball on the time.
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A Mississippi At this time report final 12 months included textual content messages Favre allegedly wrote which appeared to implicate him within the scheme.
In a single textual content message, filed as a part of Mississippi’s lawsuit over the TANF funds, Favre allegedly wrote: “For those who had been to pay me is there anyway media can discover out the place it got here from and the way a lot?”
The Mississippi state auditor who launched the investigation stated Favre additionally obtained $1.1 million in state funds to make motivational speeches he by no means really gave.
Favre has stated he repaid the debt, PEOPLE beforehand reported, however the state auditor says the retired quarterback nonetheless owes $228,000 in curiosity.