Brett Favre: Football Hall of Famer says he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

CNN
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Football Hall of Fame member Brett Favre announced Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

The famous quarterback spoke before the House Budget Committee in a hearing on reforming Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), where he was scheduled to testify before Congress on welfare misuse.

“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug that I thought would help others. And I'm sure you'll understand that while it's too late for me because I was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's, this is also something that is very close to my heart,” the quarterback said.

Favre had an illustrious NFL career, most notably as a player for the Green Bay Packers. During his time with the Packers, Favre won the Super Bowl in the 1996-97 season and was named MVP twice in a row from 1995 to 1997.

Last month, Favre said The Megyn Kelly Show that head injuries and concussions were not treated in the way they are today during his playing career and discussed the potential impact this could have on his life.

“At least several times a week there is this fear of what's going to happen tomorrow,” Favre said. “And that wasn't the case when I was playing because back then they didn't take concussions into account. It was just a little bump, so get back in the game and keep playing.”

“I don't blame anyone because back then nobody thought concussions were a big problem, myself included.

“I think to myself, 'Boy, I probably didn't do myself any favors.' Would I do it the same way again if I had the chance, or would I change the way I played or the length of time I played? I don't know, maybe I would have been more cautious,” he added.

Favre also said that he suffered a concussion in his last NFL game and was out of action for a minute or two.

While the 54-year-old said he can still do many things he enjoys, he also told Kelly that he has noticed some changes.

“I think I have memory problems, I think my speech is affected sometimes. Is that a result of the concussions and football or just because I'm over 50? And maybe the answer is a little bit of both,” he said.

Favre had previously stated that he may have suffered “thousands” of concussions over the course of his 20-year NFL career.

Results from Boston University's CTE Center had previously indicated that playing football could increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

Using data from a large online survey sponsored by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, researchers found that participants who had played organized tackle football in the past were 61 percent more likely to report a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, or parkinsonism, compared with participants who played other organized sports – a collective term for symptoms such as tremors and rigidity that lead to problems with movement.

The report, published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, also found that participants who played football at a higher level – professionally or collegiately – were almost three times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease or parkinsonism than participants who only played football at the youth or high school level.

Favre was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.