\n<\/p>\n
Brett Favre, one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks, has revealed he has Parkinson’s disease.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 54-year-old spent most of his 20-year career with the Green Bay Packers and is the only player to be named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for three consecutive seasons, from 1995 to 1997.<\/p>\n
A Super Bowl winner with the Packers in 1997, Favre revealed the news at a US Congressional hearing in an ongoing welfare fraud case.<\/a><\/p>\n “Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” said Favre.<\/p>\n “I’m sure you’ll understand, while it’s too late for me because I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, this is also a cause dear to my heart.”<\/p>\n Favre, who has denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged, was named in a civil lawsuit for the misuse of federal welfare funds and is being pursued for $727,000 (\u00a3543,000) in interest from the Mississippi state auditor.<\/p>\n Favre, who retired with the Minnesota Vikings in 2011 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016, said in 2013 that he suffers from memory loss,<\/a> linking it to the long-term impact of head injuries during his playing career.<\/p>\n In December 2009, the NFL acknowledged for the first time, external<\/span><\/a> that concussions can have long-term consequences.<\/p>\n After reaching a settlement worth $1bn<\/a> (\u00a3665m) in 2015 to compensate former players, the NFL pledged to spend $100m<\/a> (\u00a375m) on medical and engineering research in 2016.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n