Testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre said in a prepared statement that he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Favre, 54, testified about welfare abuses in Mississippi and allegations that he and others used state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds for personal and corporate gain. Favre, who earned about $140 million during a 20-year NFL career that ended in 2010, said in his testimony that he didn’t know he was receiving welfare funds and was misled by public officials.
A Mississippi state audit found that $5 million in TANF funds went toward building a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi (Favre’s alma mater) and that $1.7 million was paid to Prevacus, a company that develops concussion drugs. Favre’s daughter was a volleyball player at the University of Southern Mississippi at the time and Favre is an investor in Prevacus, whose founder, Jacob VanLandingham, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July.
Favre, who has not been criminally charged, returned $1.1 million in TANF money for speeches he never gave. The Mississippi Department of Human Services filed a civil lawsuit against him and other defendants, citing text messages between Favre and officials as evidence of his involvement in the embezzlement.
Favre, a Green Bay Packers legend, played in more than 300 NFL games and has long been an advocate for research into concussions and the resulting brain trauma. When asked on the “Today” show in 2018 how many concussions he had suffered, Favre said he had been diagnosed with “three or four,” but believed the actual number was much higher.
“When you have ringing in your ears and you see stars, that’s a concussion,” Favre said on the show. “And if that’s a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout my career, which is scary.”
A 2020 study published in the journal Family Medicine and Community Health found that “regardless of age, sex, socioeconomic status, and residence, having experienced a single lifetime concussion increased the likelihood of subsequently being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease by 57%.”
“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that 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 the congressional committee on Tuesday.
Favre was portrayed in court documents in the embezzlement case as a willing participant in the scheme that allegedly diverted millions of dollars intended for the poorest people in the country's poorest state.
Court documents and text messages described his involvement in diverting TANF money. Favre and then-Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant spoke via text about using $5 million to help build the volleyball stadium in Southern Mississippi.
Favre also exchanged text messages with Nancy New, the executive director of the school responsible for allocating millions in government funds.
“If you were to pay me, is there any way for the media to know where the money is coming from and how much?” Favre reportedly asked.
New, who later pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts of fraud, bribery and racketeering for his role in stealing TANF funds, responded: “We never published that information.”
