Brett Favre: Concussions make me worry about the future
Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre talks about concussions and their potential impact on his future at his home in Sumrall, Mississippi.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre suffered numerous concussions over the course of his 20-year NFL career, and it’s easy to draw a connection between those injuries and the Parkinson’s diagnosis he announced on Tuesday.
While the causes of Parkinson’s are largely unknown, a 2020 study found a link between concussions and brain and neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s and dementia. The Family Medicine and Community Health study found that a single concussion increased the risk of developing Parkinson’s by 57% and the risk of developing dementia by 72%.
Here’s what we know about Favre’s concussion history in the NFL:
How many concussions did Brett Favre have during his NFL career?
In a 2018 interview with Megyn Kelly Today, Favre said he had suffered “three or four” concussions during his playing career that he knew of, but estimated the actual number to be much higher.
Favre added: “We’re learning about concussions. There’s a term that’s used a lot in football and other sports. … I got hit. As Dr. (Bennet) Omalu, portrayed by Will Smith in the movie ‘Concussive Truth,’ explained, ‘hit’ is a concussion when you have ringing in your ears and you see stars. That’s a concussion, and if that’s a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, probably thousands, over the course of my career, which is scary.”
How old is Brett Favre?
Brett Favre is 54. He turns 55 on October 10. According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson’s disease usually begins around age 50 or later.
