Brett Favre says he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a startling revelation as he testified before Congress on Tuesday, September 24, about his alleged embezzlement of public funds.
The former three-time NFL MVP, 54, appeared before Congress amid a lawsuit in Mississippi that claims he and dozens of others took money meant for welfare programs and instead pocketed it for personal use. Favre has denied the charges and has not been criminally charged.
The retired Green Bay Packers star testified before the House Ways and Means Committee about Prevacus, a company researching a concussion drug for which he has raised money in recent years. Favre allegedly convinced Mississippi state lawmakers to give him $2 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds for the company, which the lawsuit against him alleges he used for himself instead.
“Unfortunately, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough drug for concussions that I thought would help others, and I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late for me as I was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s,” he said. Favre told lawmakers, according to NBC News, ESPN and Fox News.
“This is also a cause dear to my heart. Recently, the doctor who runs the company pleaded guilty to taking [public] money for their own needs,” Favre said.
Parkinson’s is a brain disease that affects a person’s nervous system, causing uncontrolled physical movements such as tremors, as well as slurred speech, according to the Mayo Clinic. There is currently no cure for this disorder.
Brett Favre to testify before Congress on alleged misuse of welfare funds: report
Brett Favre appears before the House Ways and Means Committee on September 24, 2024.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
The revelation came as Congress questioned Favre about a lawsuit filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services against the longtime Green Bay Packers quarterback and 40 others.
The lawsuit against Mississippi followed an investigation by state auditor Shad White, which found that about $77 million in TANF funds from 2016 to 2019 allegedly went to projects run by Favre and others instead of to families in need, The Associated Press and NBC News published last year.
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Brett Favre testifies on Capitol Hill on September 24, 2024.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
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Favre, who has denied the charges against him, is accused of conspiring with former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to use at least $5 million in funds to help build a volleyball stadium at the University of Southern Mississippi, his alma mater and his daughter’s alma mater. then played volleyball.
Former Packers quarterback Brett Favre allegedly used welfare funds for a college volleyball stadium
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Brett Favre. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
AND Mississippi today last year’s report included text messages Favre allegedly wrote that implicated him in the scheme.
In one text message, filed as part of Mississippi’s lawsuit over TANF funds, Favre allegedly wrote, “If you were to pay me, could the media even find out where it came from and how much?”
The Mississippi state auditor who launched the investigation said Favre also received $1.1 million in state funding for motivational speeches he never actually gave.
Favre said he paid off the debt, PEOPLE previously reported, but the state auditor says the retired quarterback still owes $228,000 in interest.
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