Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, speaking Tuesday at a Congressional hearing on the misuse of welfare funds in Mississippi, said he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that causes nerve cells in parts of the brain to weaken. The disease affects movement and balance and causes tremors and muscle stiffness, making it difficult to walk, talk or complete other simple tasks, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Favre, 54, revealed the diagnosis as he spoke to the House Ways and Means Committee and brought up Prevacus, a former drug company that received $2 million of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds.
“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre said. “I’m sure you’ll understand while it’s too late for me because I’ve been recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s. This is also a cause dear to my heart. Recently, the doctor running the company pleaded guilty to taking TANF money for his own use.”
Favre was at one time the largest individual outside investor and stockholder of Prevacus. In July, Prevacus founder Jacob VanLandingham pleaded guilty to wire fraud. VanLandingham admitted to a Mississippi judge that he used funds he received through his company for personal use, including to pay off gambling debts.
In 2022, the state of Mississippi sued a group of 38 people or organizations, including Favre, to recoup the money it said was fraudulently diverted from TANF, a federal program that provides grant funds to states for families in need.
The lawsuit said Favre received over $1 million for speeches he did not give; he has since returned the money. Additionally, the University of Southern Mississippi, Favre’s alma mater and the school where his daughter played volleyball, received $5 million in welfare funds, and a volleyball facility was later built at the school.
Favre, who has not been charged criminally, has maintained his innocence and said he did not know where the funding for the volleyball facility came from.
On Monday, he told the House Ways and Means Committee, which is examining states’ accountability in using welfare funds, that the TANF scandal has tarnished his reputation and hurt him financially. Favre called for the implementation of TANF reforms to prevent future abuse of funds.
“I urge Congress to put TANF guardrails in place to ensure that what happened in Mississippi doesn’t happen again,” Favre said. “To help low-income Americans find and keep a job, to limit how states can spend TANF grants and reduce wasteful bureaucracy and to protect taxpayer funds from fraud and abuse.”
(Photo: Cindy Ord / Getty Images for SiriusXM)
