NFL Hall of Famer Brett Favre revealing Tuesday during a Congressional hearing he's recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.
Favre was discussing his investment in a company making a concussion drug that received $2 million of temporary assistance for needy families funds.
That company's founder pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July and admitted to using Mississippi welfare money to pay off gambling and other debts.
"Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was helping a breakthrough concussion drug, I thought would help others," Favre explained. "And I'm sure you'll understand why it's too late for me, because I've recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's."
Favre's been accused of improperly using political connections to redirect public money to his alma mater, Southern Mississippi, in his own pocket.
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 in 2022 that he estimates he experienced “thousands” of concussions in his two decades in the NFL.
Favre appeared at the Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee hearing to advocate reform of the federal welfare system to better prevent fraud.
“The challenges my family and I have faced over the last three years—because certain government officials in Mississippi failed to protect federal TANF funds from fraud and abuse, and are unjustifiably trying to blame me, those challenges have hurt my good name and are worse than anything I faced in football,” Favre said.
House Republicans have said a Mississippi welfare misspending scandal involving Favre and others points to the need for an overhaul in the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
Favre has said he didn’t know the payments he received came from welfare funds and has noted his charity had provided millions of dollars to poor kids in his home state of Mississippi and in Wisconsin, where he played most of his career with the Green Bay Packers.
Favre spent 20 years in the NFL, mainly with the Green Bay Packers. After a brief stint with the New York Jets, he played for the Minnesota Vikings in 2009-2010 before a concussion forced him to retire.
Since retiring, Favre has had memory loss and that he feared it was related to the multiple concussions he suffered throughout his career.