Brett Favre reveals Parkinson’s disease diagnosis at congressional hearing

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre revealed during a congressional hearing Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative nervous system disorder that causes parts of the brain to deteriorate and affect movement.

Speaking before the House Ways and Means Committee, Favre discussed Prevacus, a company that makes a concussion drug and received $2 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. Favre was the lead investor in Prevacus, and text messages show he began asking state officials to help him secure funding for the company in November 2018.

“Unfortunately, I also lost an investment in a company that I thought was developing a breakthrough concussion drug that I thought could help other people,” Favre said during his opening remarks. “And I’m sure you can understand why it’s too late for me, because I was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. It’s also a cause that’s very close to my heart.”

Prevacus founder Jacob VanLandingham pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July, admitting to using Mississippi welfare money to pay gambling and other debts.

Favre spoke about his involvement in a massive welfare scandal in Mississippi. At least $77 million in TANF funds, intended for poor families, was diverted to the rich and powerful, according to a 2019 Mississippi state audit.

When asked in a 2018 interview how many concussions he had suffered, Favre, 54, said he only knew of “three or four,” but believed he could have suffered more than 1,000 concussions during his 20-season NFL career.

“When you have ringing in your ears, you see stars, that’s a concussion,” Favre told the “Today” show. “And if it’s a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, maybe thousands, of them throughout my career, which is scary.”