What Happened to Brett Favre? Parkinson’s Disease & Concussions Explained

Fans are concerned about what happened to Brett Favre, the Green Pay Packers Hall of Famer, after he revealed that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The 54-year-old NFL legend made the announcement during his testimony in front of Congress on Tuesday, September 24, concerning the misspending of welfare money in Mississippi. He suggests that concussions suffered during his 20-season career in football contributed to his diagnosis.

What did Brett Favre say about his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis?

Brett Favre revealed that his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis was made “recently” and provided context to why he was a top investor in a drug company called Prevacus.

In a statement to the House Ways and Means Committee, he said:

Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others. And I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late for me, because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Favre added that finding potential cures for concussions “is also a cause dear to my heart.”

Parkinson’s disease, or PD for short, is a neurodegenerative disease that develops slowly over years. According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, the condition causes symptoms like tremors, slowness, limb stiffness, and balance problems. It also points to a robust, 25-year study showing that a single concussion increased the likelihood of Parkinson’s disease by 57%.

Favre said in a 2018 interview with ESPN that he knows of “three or four” concussions he had in the career. But if getting “dinged” counts as a concussion — that is, seeing stars and ringing of the ears —  then he believes he has had “hundred, maybe thousands” of them. During the interview, he noted that his short-term memory had gotten much worse and he would “stammer” to get even simple words out in a conversation.

Concussion are a major concern in the NFL, with some questioning if Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has already had too many. Other players like DeVonta Smith and Austin Ekeler have also sustained concussions in the 2024 season.

As for Prevacus, the company received $2 million in welfare funds from Mississippi’s Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF). Its founder, Jacob VanLandingham, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July, saying that he used those funds to pay off debts. A portion of the TANF funds were used by the company to pay Favre over $1 million in speaking engagements that a state audit says he never made, per ESPN.

Favre says he had no knowledge of the TANF funds being used to pay him in his testimony. He believes that “certain government officials in Mississippi” who were in charge of the funds are “unjustifiably trying to blame” him in this case of public fraud.