Legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre mentioned he is been identified with Parkinson’s illness throughout a congressional listening to on Tuesday.
Favre, 54, was testifying earlier than the Home Methods and Means Committee about allegations that he misused Mississippi welfare funds to facilitate the development of an athletic facility at his alma mater, The College of Southern Mississippi, and fund an organization manufacturing a drug to deal with concussions.
“Sadly, I additionally misplaced an funding in an organization that I believed was creating a breakthrough concussion drug I believed would assist others, and I’m certain you’ll perceive why it’s too late for me as a result of I’ve just lately been identified with Parkinson’s,” Favre mentioned in the course of the listening to.
“That is additionally a trigger pricey to my coronary heart. Not too long ago, the physician, working the corporate pleaded responsible to taking TANF cash for his personal use.”
What had been TANF funds?
The retired quarterback was amongst 20 individuals who had been sued in 2022 for what the Mississippi Division of Human Companies mentioned was a “gross misuse” of Momentary Help for Needy Households (TANF) funds.
An audit by state officers discovered $5 million in TANF funds had been used to construct a volleyball facility at The College of Southern Mississippi, when Favre’s daughter was taking part in on the varsity’s volleyball staff.
One other $1.7 million was given to Prevacus, an organization creating concussion remedy that counted Favre as an investor, in line with the audit.
Favre has mentioned publicly that he doesn’t consider he did something flawed and he didn’t know the cash got here from the state’s welfare fund.
The retired star was inducted into the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame in 2016 for his profession as a quarterback, primarily with the Inexperienced Bay Packers.
What has Brett Favre mentioned about concussions?
Favre, who additionally performed for the New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings earlier than retiring from soccer in 2011, shared in a 2021 interview with TODAY.com that he suffers from reminiscence loss after taking quite a few hits to the pinnacle throughout his embellished profession.
“(There’s) no telling what number of concussions I’ve had, and what are the repercussions of that, there’s no reply,” Favre mentioned. “I wasn’t one of the best scholar, however I nonetheless can bear in mind sure issues that you’d go, ‘Why would you even keep in mind that?’ However I can’t bear in mind somebody that I performed six years with in Inexperienced Bay … however the face seems to be acquainted. These sort of points that make me surprise.”
Favre additionally overtly questioned if he has power traumatic encephalopathy, the progressive and deadly situation extra generally referred to as CTE.
“I don’t know what regular seems like. Do I’ve CTE? I actually don’t know,” he mentioned. “Concussions are a really, very severe factor and we’re simply scraping the floor of how extreme they’re.”
What’s Parkinson’s illness?
Parkinson’s illness is a neurodegenerative situation sometimes identified after age 50, and signs embody involuntary muscle contractions, ache within the joints and uncontrolled actions.