Favre's Parkinson's diagnosis brings back memory of his final moment with Vikings

The final play of Favre's career resulted in a concussion on the frozen turf at the University of Minnesota stadium after the Metrodome roof collapsed in 2010.

Dec 20, 2010; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre (4) walks off the field following the game against the Chicago Bears at TCF Bank Stadium. The Bears defeated the Vikings 40-14. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images / Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

The final picture of Brett Favre's Hall-of-Fame career was of him lying on the frozen grass in Minneapolis after being knocked unconscious in a game between the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears.

It was Dec. 20, 2010. The Bears walloped Minnesota 40-14. Favre never played again.

Nearly 14 years have passed and Favre now says he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The shocking announcement happened as Favre spoke Tuesday before a House Ways and Means Committee hearing to investigate the misuse of welfare funds for needy families.

"Sadly, I also lost investment in a company 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, 54, said.

Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, speaking now at a Congressional hearing on welfare misspending and reform, says he has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Favre is 54. pic.twitter.com/WS4NEOAh7o

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) September 24, 2024

Favre is named in a civil suit regarding the improper allocation of welfare money in Mississippi. He has not been charged with any crimes.

According to the Parkinson's Foundation, concussions are linked to the development of Parkinson's. A study in 2020 published in the Family Medicine and Community Health journal found that a single concussion increased the likelihood of Parkinson's by 57%. Persons suffering multiple concussions had a further increased risk of developing Parkinson's and dementia.

It's impossible to know if Favre's concussions while playing football led to Parkinson's, but in 2018 he said he had "three or four" diagnosed concussions and might've suffered "thousands" more.

"When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that's a concussion," Favre said in a 2018 interview on Today. "And if that is a concussion, I've had hundreds, maybe thousands, throughout my career, which is frightening."

Favre and the Vikings were forced to play at the University of Minnesota stadium in December 2020 after a snowstorm famously caused the Metrodome roof to collapse. Favre told a Dallas radio station in 2013 that he remembers being knocked out cold in that 2010 game against the Bears for 10-15 seconds.

"I hit the left side of my head, and the next thing I remember, I was snoring as our trainer is kind of shaking me, saying, 'Are you OK?' I look at the footage, even though it wasn't long, there was that 10-, 15-second period where I was asleep," Favre said.