Brett Favre reveals Parkinson’s disease diagnosis

WASHINGTON — Retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre made a surprising revelation during a congressional hearing on Tuesday: He has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. 

Favre was appearing before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee as part of its examination of how states are falling short on using welfare to help families in need. 

“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 said during his opening statement. “This is also a cause dear to my heart. Recently, the doctor running the company pleaded guilty to taking TANF money for his own use.”

Favre’s testimony is part of an inquiry by Congress into a Mississippi welfare misspending scandal, where the state’s department of human services allowed well-connected people to waste tens of millions of welfare dollars from 2016 to 2019, according to Mississippi Auditor Shad White and state and federal prosecutors.

Favre is not facing any criminal charges, but he is among more than three dozen defendants in a civil lawsuit the state filed in 2022. The suit demands repayment of money that was misspent through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, often shortened to TANF. 

Mississippi Auditor Shad White said in 2020 that Favre had improperly received $1.1 million in speaking fees from a nonprofit organization that spent welfare with approval from the state Department of Human Services. White said Favre did not show up for the speeches. Although Favre repaid the $1.1 million, he still owes nearly $730,000 in interest, White said.

Favre isn’t the only notable figure to have publicly disclosed a Parkinson’s diagnosis. Muhammad Ali, the people’s champion of boxing, was diagnosed three years after retiring from the ring. Actor Michael J. Fox first began noticing early-onset symptoms by the time he was 29. And in 2020, musician Ozzy Ozbourne announced his diagnosis on “Good Morning America.” 

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that affects a person’s ability to control their limbs, causing shaking, poor balance, difficulty speaking and other physical symptoms. 

The disease, which has no cure, usually progresses as a patient ages, and usually appears after age 60, although it can occasionally appear in younger people. Favre is 54.  

The disease, a genetic condition, isn’t fatal by itself, but the physical deterioration it causes can cause problems such as falls that can be fatal. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.