NFL legend Brett Favre on Tuesday revealed he has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease following a 20-season career in which he estimates he might have sustained “thousands” of concussions.
The 54-year-old former Green Bay Packers quarterback disclosed the diagnosis during testimony before a US Congressional panel in Washington probing alleged misuse of taxpayer money.
“Sadly I lost my investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre told lawmakers. “As I’m sure you’ll understand, while it’s too late for me — I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s — this is also a cause dear to my heart.”
Photo: AP
Favre was referring to Prevacus, a company making a concussion drug that received US$2 million in taxpayer money from the US Temporary Assistance for Needy Families fund.
The company’s founder, Jacob VanLandingham, pleaded guilty to wire fraud earlier this year after admitting he had used welfare money given to Prevacus to pay off gambling debts.
Favre, who played 321 straight games during his career — an NFL record for a quarterback — retired from the sport in 2010.
In a 2018 interview, he said that although he was only formally diagnosed with a handful of concussions during his career, he believes the actual number was far greater.
“That I know of, three, four, maybe,” Favre said in the interview when asked how many times he had been concussed. “There’s a term that is often used in football, and maybe in other sports, that I got ‘dinged.’ When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that’s a concussion. If that is a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, probably thousands throughout my career, which is frightening.”
Parkinson’s is a degenerative disease that erodes motor functions. Typical symptoms include shaking, rigidity and difficulty walking. In advanced stages, depression, anxiety and dementia are also common.
Worldwide, about 10 million people are afflicted with the disease, the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation said.
Favre said in 2018 he was uncertain whether he suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the condition at the center of the NFL’s US$1.2 billion 2013 concussion settlement, which cannot be diagnosed in living people.
However, he revealed he has experienced symptoms, such as short-term memory loss and occasional speech difficulties.
“Simple words that normally would come out easy in a conversation, I’ll stammer,” Favre said at the time. “Yeah, I forgot my keys and they were in my hand. Where are my glasses, and they’re on your head. You know, I wonder if that’s what it is, or do I have early stages of CTE? I don’t know.”
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS