Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre testifies before the House Ways and Means Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on September 24, 2024 in Washington, DC.
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Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre said he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a startling revelation made to Congress Tuesday while testifying about his possible misuse of taxpayer money.
Favre, appearing before the House Ways and Means Committee, has been accused of improperly using political connections to redirect public money to his alma mater and his own pocket.
“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company I believed was developing an innovative concussion drug that I thought would help others, and I'm sure you can understand why it's too late for me as I was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's,” Favre told lawmakers.
“This is also an issue that is close to my heart. Recently, the doctor who ran the company pleaded guilty to having received public money for his own benefit.”
Parkinson's is a brain disorder that causes involuntary or uncontrollable movements.
Symptoms, such as tremors and difficulty with balance and coordination, gradually worsen over time and often progress to difficulty walking and speaking.
Favre was in Washington on Tuesday to answer questions about how he got money from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
The Hall of Fame quarterback improperly received money from the program for speaking engagements he never made, according to a state auditor.
Favre is also accused of using his ties to former Gov. Phil Bryant to lobby for TANF funds to go toward a new volleyball facility at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter was a player.
Favre has not been criminally charged, but is repaying some of the money.
