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ESPN Senior Writer
- Xuan Thai is a senior writer and producer in ESPN's investigative and enterprise unit. She was previously deputy bureau chief of the south region for NBC News.
Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre disclosed during a congressional hearing on Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative nervous system disorder that causes parts of the brain to deteriorate and affects movement.
Speaking before the House Ways and Means Committee, Favre spoke about Prevacus, a company making a concussion drug that received $2 million of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds. Favre was the top investor in Prevacus, and text messages show he began asking state officials for help securing funds for the company in November 2018.
"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 during opening remarks. "And I'm sure you'll understand why it's too late for me, because I've recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's. This is also a cause dear to my heart."
Prevacus' founder, Jacob VanLandingham, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July, admitting that he used Mississippi welfare money to pay off gambling and other debts.
Favre spoke about his involvement in a sprawling Mississippi welfare case. At least $77 million in TANF funds, earmarked for poor families, were diverted to the rich and powerful, according to a 2019 Mississippi state audit.
When asked in a 2018 interview how many concussions he suffered, Favre, 54, said he knows of only "three or four" but believes he could have suffered more than 1,000 concussions during his 20-season NFL career.
"When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that's a concussion," Favre told the "Today" show. "And if that is a concussion, I've had hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening."