Former NFL all-star quarterback Brett Favre says he has Parkinson’s illness. Favre performed 20 seasons within the NFL, principally with the Inexperienced Bay Packers. He retired in 2011. Favre received the Tremendous Bowl and was a three-time NFL MVP. He additionally had his share of concussions and stated he had usually had reminiscence loss.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Photos by way of NFL
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Mike Ehrmann/Getty Photos by way of NFL
Brett Favre, the Corridor of Fame quarterback who led the Inexperienced Bay Packers to a Tremendous Bowl victory in 1997, revealed throughout Congressional testimony Tuesday that he has Parkinson’s illness.
Favre, who’s 54, shared his prognosis in an look earlier than the U.S. Home Methods and Means Committee on Tuesday in a listening to about welfare accountability and reform.
Since 2020, Favre has been embroiled in controversy over the misuse of public welfare funds in Mississippi, his house state, the place audits revealed that public cash supposed for needy households was used to pay Favre and to fund initiatives he favored, together with the development of a volleyball facility on the College of Southern Mississippi, the place his daughter was a participant.
One other of these initiatives was funding in a pharmaceutical firm known as Prevacus that had claimed to be growing a concussion remedy drug.
“I assumed it will assist others,” he stated Tuesday throughout the listening to. “It was too late for me as a result of I’ve just lately been recognized with Parkinson’s.”
Favre has stated that he was not conscious the funds have been supposed for welfare. He has by no means been criminally charged in reference to the controversy, and he has filed a defamation lawsuit in opposition to Mississippi state officers over the case.
Parkinson’s illness is a nervous system dysfunction that may trigger tremors, motion and stability points and issues with speech. There isn’t any treatment, and signs usually worsen over time.
Parkinson’s and different mind issues, like dementia, are related to a historical past of concussions. So too is the degenerative mind illness CTE — power traumatic encephalopathy — which has been posthumously recognized in lots of of NFL gamers whose brains have been donated to researchers for examination.
In a 2018 interview on the Right this moment present, Favre stated he had been recognized with “three or 4” concussions in his NFL profession, which lasted from 1991 to 2010.
Brett Favre #4 of the Inexperienced Bay Packers is tackled by a Minnesota Vikings defensive participant throughout the NFC wild-card sport at Lambeau Subject on January 9, 2005 in Inexperienced Bay, Wisconsin. Favre stated Tuesday he is battling Parkinson’s illness which comes after a 20-year all-star NFL profession the place he had quite a few concussions.
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Doug Benc/Getty Photos
However he added that, as concussion analysis had superior within the years since his retirement, he had come to know he had doubtless sustained many greater than that.
“When you might have ringing of the ears, seeing stars — that is a concussion. And if that could be a concussion, I’ve had lots of, most likely hundreds, all through my profession, which is horrifying,” he stated then.