Brett Favre spent twenty seasons throwing, tackling, and crashing on NFL fields—so many times, he lost count. Now, years later, he’s honest about what he calls “thousands of concussions“, each one rattling not just the helmet, but his now-diagnosed brain with Parkinson’s—the moment he realized something was truly wrong. That reckoning hit hard: a once-unshakeable legend suddenly feeling his body betray the confidence he’d worn like armor for decades.

Doctors were clear: without a family history of Parkinson’s, head trauma from his playing days was the likely culprit. Favre shrugged it off for a time—until he noticed his right arm, which he once used to throw dimes, now wouldn’t cooperate. The NFL legend even struggled with basic tasks like holding a screwdriver.

He once said, “Well, I wrote the book on head drama“, addressing an NFL career filled with hits that resulted in Parkinson’s diagnosis. But deep down, he knew that Parkinson’s had arrived, and it pretty much shook him more than any game. And now, when he talks about his diagnosis, Brett Favre straight-up admits that it feels like the end of the world.

Just a few hours ago, Favre stopped by the podcast of Brian Hall, a spiritual mentor and advisor, where he talked about his diagnosis. “You know, when I got the diagnosis of Parkinson’s, I’ll be honest with you, I thought the world was coming to an end,” Favre said. “I thought, I mean, is there a life after?” Back in September 2024, during his testimony to a congressional committee about a welfare misspending scandal in Mississippi, Favre revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in January 2024.

The 55-year-old NFL legend sat down with TMZ Sports in August last year, where he disclosed his condition for the first time, but asked TMZ Sports not to report it. However, after revealing it himself a month later, TMZ received permission from Favre to eventually report it. In his interview with TMZ, Favre explained that he noticed issues with his right arm and struggled with basic things.

“I would be doing something, and my right arm, I’d notice it was just stuck right there… I felt my arm, the strength was there, but I could not guide it. And it was the most frustrating thing so those two really kind of, eventually, I was like, you know I’m just gonna get it checked,” he said. Upon getting a checkup, five specialists explained to him that the hits he took back in his NFL days were the reason he’s dealing with this now.

And it was the second time this year that Favre felt like the world was coming to an end following his diagnosis. “I have to admit, I thought the world was caving in on me, it was the end of the world,” the Packers‘ legend said in January this year. “I can’t believe this, not me. I’m healthy, I’m very active, I mean, it doesn’t happen to me.”

But even with all this going on, Favre kept his faith strong and said he’s still got plenty to be thankful for. “I have a lot to be thankful for. I’ve had some medical issues. But god is good. I’m very very blessed in a lot of ways,” he added. “So, I remind myself of that each and every day. I don’t care how bad my back feels or how bad I shake, I’ve got a lot to be thankful for.”

Though doctors diagnosed Brett Favre over a year ago, the Packers legend now focuses on his treatment and lives in the moment instead of stressing over what he can’t control.

Brett Favre has a fear of what happens next

A 2020 study reported that sustaining a single concussion during a game increases a player’s risk of developing a degenerative nervous system disorder by 57%, literally. And multiple concussions can make it worse and lead to even severe medical conditions. Aaron Rodgers, the former Packers’ QB and Brett Favre’s former teammate for three seasons, once talked about the head traumas and called it an unfortunate part of the game.

“I feel bad for him and [Favre’s wife] Deanna, but it’s unfortunately part of our game. That’s part of the risk of playing, and we all in the back of our mind know that that could be a reality at some point,” Rodgers said. “We just kind of hope medicine at some point can catch up and either make the symptoms easier or eradicate some of these issues that we have.” But that’s the thing. There is no cure for Parkinson’s.

And get this, Favre straight-up admitted that he’s on medications, but they’re doing nothing to cure the disease, just managing the symptoms. “The medicine I take manages the symptoms,” he said in January this year. “It does nothing to stop the disease, there’s always the fear of what happens next, what’s the next step. But I’m trying to live in the present and make the most of what I got. I’m very thankful, I’m very blessed.”

That’s been the life of Brett Favre. The NFL legend has been going through an incurable disease. He’s been struggling to put his arm through the sleeves of his shirts and jackets. And yes, he has a constant fear of what lies ahead. But still, the 55-year-old former NFL quarterback is thankful and blessed in a lot of ways. That said, Favre might encounter some frustrating moments in his life, sure. But it’s safe to say that he’s been focusing on living in the present.