It’s been about 14 years since Brett Favre has left the league and he continues to inspire people. So, it was unfortunate to find out that the Packers legend was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Understandably, when Favre got the opportunity to appear before the House Ways and Means Committee, he chose to speak about a concussion medication that raised millions of dollars for those affected.
Favre spoke his heart on social media and in a past press run, he highlighted how he could have had more than a “thousand concussions” in his 20-year NFL career. Luckily, he got away with just “three or four.” Here’s what he posted on X.
“First, I want to thank God for all He has done in my life. Next, thanks to Congress for giving me the platform to discuss a much-needed TANF reform,” Favre’s post on X said. “As you know, I was recently diagnosed w/ Parkinson’s which has been an ordeal. My wife, family, and friends have been supportive and I want to thank them for being there for me.”
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What’s your reaction? Can you believe Brett Favre endured over a thousand concussions? React! Reactions
He didn’t forget the fans who have been praying for him all along and thanked them for “all the love.” Something astonishing happened in late 2018 when the Hall of Fame quarterback revealed that there were multiple occasions during his 20-year NFL career where he was seriously hit, but only “three or four” of those instances were labeled as concussions.
There were plenty of times in his career when Brett Favre had “ringing ears” and “saw stars,” but didn’t take it seriously. If he did, he would’ve “had hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout my career.” This is relevant because per a 2020 study, a single concussion increased the chance of contracting Parkinson’s disorder by 57%.
Sadly, his multiple concussions and Parkinson’s weren’t the subject matter of the congressional hearing.
Is Brett Favre being accused wrongfully?
Prevacus, a company that Favre was working with had secured $2 million in TANF funds and he was accused of asking state officials for the funds. Things became worse in 2019 when he was further criticized for redirecting $77 million to the wealthy when that money was meant for poor families.
The former Packers legend, in his defense, said “I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion dr-g I thought would help others.” Favre later revealed that he was trying to “recoup” those funds. However, he hasn’t been charged with any wrongdoing.
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Things took a surprising turn when the founder of Prevacus, Jacob VanLandingham, pleaded guilty to using those funds to pay off his debts. All this has done serious damage to Brett Favre’s reputation as everywhere he went, he got side-eyed. Favre also insisted that he didn’t know what TANF funds were and that he just wanted funding for Prevacus and a volleyball facility he wanted to build at the University of Mississippi.
Even text messages were leaked later that pointed out Favre was doing everything to keep the media out of his business. But that is debatable and remains unproven. The former QB also pointed out that the state auditor, Shad White, whose office uncovered the scandal, is an “ambitious public official” trying to “tarnish my reputation” to move up the ladder. The 11x Pro Bowler also believes that the amount of disgrace these accusations have brought him and his family is worse than any injury he had suffered in his NFL career.
“The challenges my family and I faced over the last three years because certain government officials in Mississippi failed to protect federal TANF funds from fraud and abuse and are unjustifiably trying to blame me, those challenges have hurt my good name and are worse than anything I faced in football,” he said.
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Now, Favre is suing Shad White and has also accused the state of Mississippi of funding attorneys Adam Stone and Kaytie Pickett with TANF Funds in order to sue him and the other defendants. “Stone and Pickett declined to comment, citing the gag order,” per ESPN.
What do you think about the debacle that Brett Favre is in? Let us know what you think of this mishap.