Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre recently shared that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
According to the CDC, there is a link between concussions and Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative nervous system disorder that affects movements and causes parts of the brain to deteriorate. It’s possible that Favre’s diagnosis has something to do with his history of concussions while playing in the NFL.
The former quarterback was speaking during a congressional hearing to address the misappropriation of welfare funds in Mississippi by Prevacus, a company that makes a concussion drug. Favre was one of the top investors in the company.
Prevacus had raised $2 million of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds—but all the funds didn’t go to the cause. In July, company founder Jacob VanLandingham pled guilty to wire fraud and admitted to paying off gambling and other debts using those funds.
Eight others have been indicted while six of them pleaded guilty for their involvement in this fraud.
“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre told lawmakers. “And I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late for me because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.”
In a 2018 interview on the Today show, Favre said he had been diagnosed with “three or four” concussions throughout his nearly 20-year NFL career. “When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that’s a concussion,” he said at the time. “And if that is a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening.”
After revealing his diagnosis in front of the House Ways and Means Committees, Favre insisted that he was unaware of the fraud and immediately returned the funds once he found out.
“I had no way of knowing that there was anything wrong with how the state funded the project, especially since it was publicly approved by many state agencies and multiple attorneys including the attorney general,” he said at Tuesday’s hearing.
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The post Brett Favre Shares Parkinson’s Diagnosis, Possibly Linked to Concussions appeared first on VICE.
