Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, who received more than $1 million in welfare payments from the state of Mississippi for poor families and reportedly pushed for millions more to be funneled to his colleagues’ projects, pointed the finger at others who accused them of misusing federal welfare funds during his testimony before Congress on Tuesday. During his prepared remarks, Favre also revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

Although texts indicate that Favre wanted to keep the receipt of the funds confidential, he has stated that he did not know the money came from federal funds for poor people. He has repaid the money but is being sued by the state of Mississippi for hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest accrued on the money he received. Favre has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing.

On Tuesday, Favre attempted to portray himself as a victim, citing “the challenges my family and I have faced over the past three years because of the failure of certain government officials in Mississippi to protect federal TANF program funds from fraud and abuse.” Favre claimed those “challenges” were “worse than anything I’ve experienced in football.” And he took a shot at Shad White, the Mississippi auditor who accused him of misusing the funds, claiming White had tarnished his reputation to “further his own political career.” White, whom Favre is also suing for defamation, released a book this summer about the welfare abuse case and told the Mississippi Clarion-Ledger that “the litigation that (Favre) has against me is based on three statements that I made, all of which are based on fact.”