NFL icon Brett Favre — once known for his toughness, grit, and record-breaking career — says he’s facing a battle he can’t win.
The Hall of Fame quarterback has revealed that he’s “basically given up hope” in his fight against Parkinson’s disease, saying he no longer believes a cure will come in his lifetime.
“I’m not holding my breath,” the 56-year-old said during a recent episode of 4th and Favre, his weekly show. “I’ve heard people say, ‘They’re five years away from a cure.’ I really hope that’s true, but I’ve stopped expecting it.”
Favre’s public battle began last September, when he disclosed his diagnosis while testifying before Congress during a hearing on federal welfare reform — a session that also touched on his involvement in Mississippi’s welfare fund scandal. Investigators had questioned $5 million in welfare money allegedly funneled toward building a volleyball arena at the University of Southern Mississippi, where Favre’s daughter once played.
At the time, Favre downplayed his symptoms. But now, he’s opening up about the daily toll.
“When I wake up in the morning before I take my medicine, I’m as close to a two-by-four as you could possibly get,” he said. “Once I take my medicine, it’s like my muscles finally loosen their grip.”
Favre, who spent 20 seasons in the NFL, admitted he initially didn’t understand how complex Parkinson’s disease could be.
“I thought Parkinson’s was just shaking,” he said. “But there’s more to it. There’s the cognitive side, the tremors, and then rigidity. Mine’s the rigidity — the stiffness. That’s my battle.”
Favre described losing dexterity in his right hand — the same hand that once fired touchdowns with surgical precision. “If you dropped a dime in front of me, I might spend five minutes trying to pick it up with my right hand,” he said. “Eventually, I just grab it with my left.”
Favre said he draws inspiration from other Parkinson’s fighters but knows the odds are cruel.
“Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali — they’ve really set the bar high,” he said. “I’m sure when they were diagnosed, they thought, ‘There’ll be a cure soon.’ But it hasn’t come. That’s just reality.”
Still, Favre remains grateful. “All in all, I’m pretty good,” he told listeners. “I’ve progressed a little, sure, but I’m still me. I’m still here.”
Favre, who holds three NFL MVP awards and led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl victory, has long been celebrated for his unbreakable spirit. But in his latest chapter, that toughness looks different — less about the next play and more about acceptance.
“It’s not the fight I expected,” he said. “But it’s mine.”
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