NFL legend Brett Favre has given fans an emotional insight into his daily battle with Parkinson’s.
The Hall of Fame quarterback, who was an ardent supporter of Donald Trump during the election campaign, revealed he had the disease during a congressional hearing back in September.
Once one of the brightest stars in the National Football League, Favre, 55, played 20 seasons in the NFL. He spent most of his career with the Green Bay Packers, with whom he won the Super Bowl in 1997.
Speaking to TMZ, Favre said he ‘can’t complain’ about his lifestyle but did offer a bleak insight into his battle with Parkinson’s.
He said: ‘With my Parkinson’s, the main side effect is rigidity and stiffness. I have a little bit of shaking, but not much. But, rigidity and stiffness.
‘When I wake up in the morning, I feel like a board. I don’t need any help because of football to be any stiffer. But, all things considered, I’m a very blessed man.’
NFL legend Brett Favre has given fans an emotional insight into his battle with Parkinson’s
Favre, 55, played 20 seasons in the NFL and spent most of his career with the Packers
Favre said at the September hearing on welfare accountability that he lost his investment in a company he believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug.
‘While it’s too late for me – because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s – this is also a cause dear to my heart,’ he said.
What causes Parkinson’s disease is unknown but Favre said five specialists told him they believed head trauma played a role in his developing the disease.
He said on a radio show in 2022 that he estimates he may have experienced ‘thousands’ of concussions in his two decades in the NFL.
Favre later revealed he was diagnosed in January after he began having trouble using his right arm and was unable to hold a screwdriver steady.
He said he suspected something was wrong when his right arm would get ‘stuck.’
Favre went on to add that he didn’t notice a decrease in strength but was unable to hold a screwdriver with one hand. He said he notified his physician about the problem when he struggled to put on a jacket.
‘I felt my arm, the strength was there, but I could not guide it,’ he told TMZ. ‘And it was the most frustrating thing.’
Favre, 54, and his wife Deanna are pictured in Rome. Favre has been retired since 2011
Favre is shaken up on a sack during a Packers Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions
Favre was known for his durability during his Hall of Fame career. He had an NFL-record streak of 297 consecutive starts, a figure that goes up to 321 if playoff games are included.
He won three straight MVP awards with the Green Bay Packers from 1995-97. Favre led the 1996 Packers to their first Super Bowl title in nearly three decades and brought them back to the Super Bowl the following year.
Favre was with Green Bay from 1992-2007 and also played for the Atlanta Falcons (1991), New York Jets (2008) and Minnesota Vikings (2009-10).
Favre has stayed in the headlines over the last few years over a welfare scandal in the state of Mississippi, where he was named as a defendant.
The Viking and Jet testified in front of the Congressional Ways and Means Committee back in September about the matter.
In the case, around $77million in funds meant for families in need was redirected to wealthy families. Favre pushed state officials for funding for Southern Miss’s volleyball facility as that time while his daughter was on the team.
Favre has denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged.
