NFL great Brett Favre opens up about living with Parkinson’s disease: ‘I feel like a board’

Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre announced in September that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and in an interview this week he opened up about the challenges of living with the disease and his hope for the future. 

The former Green Bay Packers great spoke with TMZ Sports about his health and the benefit of having been diagnosed in the very early stages of the disease. 

“Overall, I feel – I can’t complain. It’s one of those things that I’m learning a lot about Parkinson’s, and my Parkinson’s was caught very early, very early.” 

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He continued, “It’s very early in the disease and the hope is something on the horizon comes out that can stop the progression.” 

Favre, 55, revealed the news of his shocking health diagnosis during his testimony at a congressional hearing on federal welfare reform. 

“Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” he said at the time. “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.”

Favre, 55, revealed the news of his shocking health diagnosis during his testimony at a congressional hearing on federal welfare reform.  (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

NFL LEGEND BRETT FAVRE ANNOUNCES HE HAS PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Favre considers himself fortunate because of the early detection, but he still experiences difficult symptoms.

“I don’t shake very bad, the medication – when I’m on it, you would never know. But I don’t want to keep taking medication for the next 30, 40 years if I live that long. But it is what it is. 

“Most of the time, I’m good. With my Parkinson’s the main side effect is rigidity and stiffness. I have a little bit of shaking, not much, but rigidity and stiffness. When I wake up in the morning, I feel like a board. I don’t need any help because of football to be any stiffer.” 

FILE – Quarterback Brett Favre #4 of the Green Bay Packers looks on from the sideline during a game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Municipal Stadium on November 19, 1995, in Cleveland, Ohio.  (George Gojkovich/Getty Images)

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“All things considered, I’m a very blessed man,” he added. 

Favre said on a radio show in 2022 that he estimates he may have experienced “thousands” of concussions in his two decades in the NFL. The causes of the disease are unknown, and it is unclear whether his football career and head injuries of the years are connected. 

According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, scientists believe that the disease is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, and those environmental factors “may include head injuries, pesticide exposure or area of residence.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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