Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre announced Tuesday while testifying on Capitol Hill at a hearing about alleged welfare misspending that he was "recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease."
Favre, a retired NFL quarterback who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1992-2007, revealed the news Tuesday morning while appearing before a Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee hearing on welfare abuses. He is currently being sued by the state Mississippi over the receipt of funds, via speaking fees, that had been intended for poor women and children. He's also been accused of improperly using his political connections to redirect welfare funds to his alma mater.
In his opening statement before the committee Tuesday, Favre claimed he was the victim of unscrupulous public officials and said he never knew he was receiving welfare funds.
"Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others, and I'm sure you'll understand why it's too late for me because I've recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's," Favre said. "This is also a cause dear to my heart. Recently, the doctor, running the company pleaded guilty to taking TANF money for his own use."
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Favre has previously said in interviews that he suffers from memory loss likely due to repeated head injuries over the course of his career. The Parkinson's diagnosis had not previously been disclosed.
Favre was invited to speak before the congressional committee by Chairman Republican Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri as part of a hearing that examines how states are falling short on using welfare to help families in need.
Favre repaid just over $1 million in state welfare money he accepted for speeches where he didn't appear. It was unclear, however, how much Favre would say during the hearing because a Mississippi judge in 2023 put a gag order on him and others as part of the suit.
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Favre has repeatedly denied knowing that the money came from welfare funds, though text messages obtained during discovery show otherwise, plaintiffs allege.
Brett Favre and the Mississippi Welfare Funds Scandal
Mississippi has ranked among the poorest states in the U.S. for decades, but only a fraction of its federal welfare money has been going to families. Instead, the Mississippi Department of Human Services allowed well-connected people to waste tens of millions of welfare dollars from 2016 to 2019, according to Mississippi Auditor Shad White and state and federal prosecutors.
Favre is not facing any criminal charges, but he is among more than three dozen defendants in a civil lawsuit the state filed in 2022. The suit demands repayment of money that was misspent through TANF.
White, a Republican, said in 2020 that Favre had improperly received $1.1 million in speaking fees from a nonprofit organization that spent welfare with approval from the state Department of Human Services. White said Favre did not show up for the speeches. Although Favre repaid the $1.1 million, he still owes nearly $730,000 in interest, White said.
The TANF money was to go toward a volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi. Favre agreed to lead fundraising efforts for the facility at his alma mater, where his daughter started playing on the volleyball team in 2017.
A nonprofit group called the Mississippi Community Education Center made two payments of welfare money to Favre Enterprises, the athlete’s business: $500,000 in December 2017 and $600,000 in June 2018.
Court records show that on Dec. 27, 2017, Favre texted the center’s director, Nancy New: “Nancy Santa came today and dropped some money off (two smiling emojis) thank you my goodness thank you.”
“Yes he did,” New responded. “He felt you had been pretty good this year!”
New pleaded guilty in April 2022 to charges of misspending welfare money, as did her son Zachary New, who helped run the nonprofit. They await sentencing and have agreed to testify against others.
Favre said he didn’t know the payments he received came from welfare funds and noted his charity had provided millions of dollars to poor kids in his home state of Mississippi and Wisconsin, where he played most of his career with the Green Bay Packers.
