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Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre disclosed during a congressional hearing on Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative nervous system disorder that causes parts of the brain to deteriorate and affects movement.
Appearing before a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on welfare reform, Favre spoke about Prevacus, a company making a concussion drug that received $2 million of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. Favre was the top investor in Prevacus, and text messages show he began asking state officials for help securing funds for the company in November 2018.
“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre said during opening remarks. “And I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late for me, because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. This is also a cause dear to my heart.”
A 2020 study found that having a single concussion increased the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 57% and having multiple concussions further compounds the danger.
When asked in a 2018 interview how many concussions he suffered, Favre, 54, said he knows of only “three or four” but believes he could have suffered more than 1,000 concussions during his 20-season NFL career.
“When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that’s a concussion,” Favre told the “Today” show. “And if that is a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening.”
The revelation about his health overshadowed Favre’s testimony…
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