Legendary Quarterback Brett Favre, 54, Reveals He's Battling Parkinson's Disease

Legendary NFL quarterback Brett Favre revealed he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease while testifying at a congressional hearing on welfare misspending and reform on Tuesday, September 24.

“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre, 54, said. “I’m sure you’ll understand, while it’s too late for me because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, this is also a cause dear to my heart.”

The athlete revealed his diagnosis while talking about Prevacus, which he invested in that's no longer in use.

According to the Mayo Clinic, "Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time." There is no cure for the disease.

The former NFL star improperly received money from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for speeches he never delivered. He has not been criminally charged and has repaid some of the money.

In August 2022, Favre, who played in the NFL for 20 seasons, said he previously suffered "thousands" of concussions while on The Bubba Army radio show.

“Concussions happen all the time. You get tackled and your head hits the turf, you see flashes of light or ringing in your ears, but you’re able to play… That’s a concussion,” the star, who is married to Deanna Tynes, previously shared.

“So, based on that, [I’ve suffered] thousand — had to be. Because every time my head hit the turf, there was ringing or stars going, flash bulbs… but I was still able to play. That’s what’s kind of frightening about the concussion thing, because it’s the ones that seem minor that do the damage because you’re able to keep playing," he added.

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In 2018, while talking to Megyn Kelly, he said he was struggling with remembering certain things.

“I could go back and call the high school plays I ran, and to a certain degree, I can still do that. But I find that more short-term memory — someone I met six months ago — in other words, it has gotten a lot worse in regards to short-term, simple words that normally would come out easy in a conversion, I’ll stammer,” he said.

“And look, I’m 48 years old. Having played 20 years, could it just be as we all like to say as we get a little bit older, I forgot my keys and they were in my hand? Or where are my glasses, and they’re on your head? I wonder if that’s what it is or do I have early stages of CTE. I don’t know," he added.