NFL legend Brett Favre reveals he has Parkinson's disease

Brett Favre, legendary quarterback of the Green Bay Packers and one of the best passers in the NFL, has shocked the world by announcing that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's.

The NFL legend was an investor in Prevacus, a pharmaceutical company sued in 2022 over its involvement with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.

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“Unfortunately, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a revolutionary drug for concussions that I believed would help other people,” the 54-year-old said. “I’m sure they’ll understand. Although it’s too late for me because I’ve only recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, it’s also a cause that’s close to my heart.” Favre acknowledged at the hearing, as reported by ESPN.

Favre played 20 seasons in the NFL and was known as Iron Man, after playing 299 consecutive games, a record that still stands.

The accumulation of games also meant that he suffered over 1,000 concussions, according to his own estimations.

As he told The Bubba Army radio show in 2022, “Every time my head hit the turf, there was ringing or stars going, flash bulbs, but I was still able to play,” he said in that interview. “That's what's kind of frightening about the concussion thing.”

These blows to the head, as demonstrated by the NFL in a 2009 study, are related to the development of CTE and long-term mental illnesses and Favre's case is just one more to a mounting list that already includes over 300 other players officially, according to NPR.

Brett Favre was a star of the XXXI Super Bowl and the first player to chain three consecutive NFL MVPs (1995, 1996 and 1997), cementing his legacy in the NFL.

Parkinson's disease affects brain neurons by reducing dopamine production, with head injuries being one of its main causes.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the development of the disease causes disorders in the nervous system that deteriorate over time. In addition, its symptoms include tremors in the extremities, bradykinesia (slow movement), muscle rigidity, lack of balance, poor posture and the absence of blinking, as well as problems sleeping.

The former player's investment in Prevacus, he said in court, was due to the fact that the pharmaceutical company was working on a drug for the treatment of concussions.

Regardless of how the investigation turns out and Brett Favre's involvement in it, the sporting world has been left speechless by his announcement.

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