Text size

NFL legend Brett Favre announced Tuesday that he has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, following a 20-season career that has left him with an estimated “thousands” of concussions.

The 54-year-old former Green Bay Packers quarterback announced the diagnosis during testimony before a U.S. Congressional committee in Washington investigating alleged misuse of taxpayer money.

“Unfortunately, I lost my investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough drug for concussions that I thought could help others,” Favre told lawmakers.

“As you can probably understand, it is too late for me (I have recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s), but this is also a cause close to my heart.”

Favre referred to Prevacus, a company that makes a concussion drug and that received $2 million in taxpayer money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) fund.

The company’s founder, Jacob VanLandingham, pleaded guilty to fraud earlier this year after admitting he used Prevacus’ Social Security money to pay off gambling debts.

Favre, who played in 321 consecutive games in his career — an NFL record for a quarterback — retired from the sport in 2010.

Favre said in a 2018 interview that while he was only formally diagnosed with a few concussions during his career, he believes the actual number is much higher.

“I know, three, four, maybe,” Favre said in the interview when asked how many times he’s had a concussion. “There’s a term that’s used a lot in football, and maybe in other sports, that I’m ‘dabbed.’

“If you have ringing in your ears, see stars, that’s a concussion. If that’s a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, probably thousands of them in my career, and it’s scary.”

Parkinson’s is a degenerative disease that affects motor functions. Typical symptoms include tremors, stiffness and difficulty walking. In advanced stages, depression, anxiety and dementia are also common.

According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, approximately 10 million people worldwide suffer from this disease.

Favre said in 2018 that he wasn’t sure whether he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the condition at the center of the NFL’s $1.2 billion concussion settlement in 2013. CTE cannot be diagnosed in living people.

However, he indicated that he suffers from symptoms such as short-term memory loss and occasional speech problems.

“Simple words that normally come easily in conversation, I stutter,” Favre said at the time.

“Yeah, I forgot my keys and they were in my hand. Where are my glasses, and they’re on your head. You know, I wonder if that’s it. Or do I have early stages of CTE? I don’t know.”