By Variety | Created at 2024-09-24 16:44:33 | Updated at 2024-09-30 13:29:17
5 days ago
Brett Favre revealed during a congressional hearing on Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder that can cause stiffness, tremors and uncontrollable movements.
The Hall of Fame quarterback appeared before the House Ways and Means Committee while testifying about his alleged misuse of taxpayer money, NBC News reports. Favre was accused of exploiting his political connections in order to redirect welfare money meant for families in Mississippi into his own pocket.
“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 in his opening remarks, referencing the drug company Prevacus, whose founder, Jacob VanLandingham, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July, admitting that he used Mississippi welfare funds to pay off gambling and other debts.
“This is also a cause dear to my heart. Recently, the doctor running the company pleaded guilty to taking [public] money for his own use,” Favre told lawmakers.
The former NFL star improperly received money from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for speeches that he never delivered. He was also accused of lobbying former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant for TANF funds to go toward a new volleyball facility at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre went to college and where his daughter was an athlete.
Favre has not been criminally charged. He has repaid some of the money.
Favre played 20 seasons in the NFL, 16 of which were for the Green Bay Packers. A Super Bowl champion, Favre won the NFL MVP award three times and made it into the Hall of Fame. He was the first quarterback to obtain a victory over all 32 NFL teams, and he holds the record for most consecutive games started by any NFL player, with 297.
