Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he told a congressional committee Tuesday.
Favre made the disclosure as part of his testimony about a welfare misspending scandal in Mississippi. Favre, who doesn’t face criminal charges, has repaid just over $1 million in speaking fees funded by a welfare program in the state and was also an investor in a biotech company with ties to the case. The biotech firm has said it was developing concussion treatments.
The 54-year-old Hall of Famer told the committee that he lost his investment in the company that he thought “was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others.”
“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 said.
What causes Parkinson’s disease is unknown, and it is unclear if Favre’s disease is connected to his career. He said on a radio show in 2022 that he estimates he may have experienced “thousands” of concussions in his two decades in the NFL.
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, scientists believe that the disease is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, and those environmental factors “may include head injuries.”
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