NFL star Brett Favre announced that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a disease of the nervous system.
The Super Bowl champion made the revelation on Tuesday during a congressional hearing on welfare reform.
“Unfortunately, I also lost an investment in a company that I thought was developing a breakthrough concussion drug that I thought would help others,” the Hall of Fame quarterback said. “And I’m sure you’ll understand why it’s too late for me because I was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s. That’s another cause that’s very close to my heart.”
The company Favre is referring to is called Prevacus. Prevacus makes concussion medications and Favre was an investor.
According to ESPN, the company’s founder, Jacob VanLandingham, was found guilty in July of $1.9 million in wire fraud after “receiving government funds to ‘unlawfully enrich’ himself, records show.”
Before VanLandingham’s conviction, Favre was named in a major welfare lawsuit in Mississippi alleging that $77 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds had been misused.
In 2018, former Green Bay Packer told Megyn Kelly about his history with concussions. “If you have ringing in your ears and you see stars, that’s a concussion. And if that’s a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, maybe thousands, over the course of my career, that’s scary,” Favre said.
Not only are concussions often linked to CTE, a neurodegenerative disease that affects many NFL players, but they can also contribute to Parkinson’s disease.
A Family medicine and public health A study reports that just one concussion can increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 57 percent.
