Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre has opened up about his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis and said specialists have told him it’s most likely the result of head trauma from his days playing football.
Favre shocked the world with his admission during congressional testimony Tuesday that he had been diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease.
He described the first time he had suspicions of something being wrong in an interview with TMZ Sports.
Favre told the outlet that in a scary moment, the arm that completed 6,300 passes for 71,838 yards, 508 of which went for touchdowns, would get “stuck”.
The Green Bay legend said he’d push the arm back down only to “forget about it” and discover that “it would be right back there.”
In another heartbreaking reveal, Favre said he struggled to get his throwing arm into a jacket.
“I felt my arm, the strength was there, but I could not guide it,” he said. “And it was the most frustrating thing.”
Brett Favre: Doctors Said It’s From Concussions Suffered In The NFL
The NFL, which has faced numerous lawsuits in recent years over concussions and CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), will no doubt be concerned that one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time is pointing out the link between the sport and CTE and Parkinson’s.
The public might be aware of CTE as an issue, but the fact that it could lead to an irreversible degenerative brain disorder might open some eyes. And the fact that this is coming from a world-renowned quarterback and not a random name in the trenches makes it that much more relatable to the fans.
Repetitive head trauma and CTE have been linked to Parkinson’s disease – in some cases, not all. It can also be genetic, scientists suggest.
In Favre’s case though, he says five separate specialists all told him it’s likely due to the brain injuries he suffered while playing NFL football. Favre famously played for 321 games straight, by far an NFL record.
“They all [the specialists] said the same thing,” he said. “‘If it’s not in your family’ – and there’s none on either side of my family – ‘then the first thing we look at is head trauma.'”
“Well, hell, I wrote the book on head trauma.”
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Opening Up About It, Thanking Fans
Favre, a three-time National Football League MVP, has openly questioned whether or not he has cognitive lapses potentially caused by CTE and believes he suffered over 1,000 concussions during his playing career.
It’s good that he opens up about the Parkinson’s diagnosis and shares it with the sporting world. It takes a warrior to let the world know you’re fighting such a debilitating disease and to try and let people understand why it might have happened.
Favre, of course, has always been a warrior.
On Tuesday, the legendary player thanked fans for the support they’ve provided since he revealed the news.
“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,” Favre said on X.
“To my fans and those wishing well — thank you all for the love.”
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