LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- More than a decade after retiring from football, Brett Favre said in a Congressional hearing Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
There are nearly 90,000 new Parkinson’s cases each year in the U.S. Parkinson's is a neurologic disease that robs people of control over their movements. It typically starts with tremors and is characterized by slow movement, a shuffling gait, stiff limbs, balance problems and slurred speech. Most experts believe genetic and environmental factors are behind the disease.
"A concussion is a brain injury," Dr. Justin Phillips with Norton Neuroscience Institute, said Wednesday. "It's not just getting your bell rung. You're having neurologic systems because you've injured your brain. And some of that can heal, but, in the process, there can be inflammation. There can be a release of these proteins."
Those proteins are part of what can cause the disease. Concussions can also increase a person's likelihood of being diagnosed with dementia, ADHD, mood and anxiety disorders later in life.
Favre made the disclosure as part of his testimony about a welfare misspending scandal in Mississippi. Favre, who does not 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 former football star, 54, 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."
What causes Parkinson's disease is unknown, and it is unclear if Favre's disease is connected to his football career or head injuries. 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, pesticide exposure or area of residence."
In the 2022 interview, Favre said he initially thought the number of concussions he had received playing football was low, but realized it could be much higher once he learned more about them, including that they can happen without causing someone to lose consciousness.
During one 2004 game, Favre sustained a concussion but returned after sitting out only two plays and threw a touchdown pass without having been cleared to return to action.
The Super Bowl-winning quarterback appeared at the Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee hearing to advocate reform of the federal welfare system to better prevent fraud.
Favre was known for his durability during his Hall of Fame career. He had an NFL-record streak of 297 consecutive starts, a figure that goes up to 321 if playoff games are included.
He won three straight MVP awards with the Green Bay Packers from 1995-97. Favre led the 1996 Packers to their first Super Bowl title in nearly three decades and brought them back to the Super Bowl the following year.
Favre was with Green Bay from 1992-2007 and also played for the Atlanta Falcons (1991), New York Jets (2008) and Minnesota Vikings (2009-10). At the time of his retirement in 2011, Favre owned multiple NFL career passing records. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
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