Aaron Rodgers shared the quarterback room with Brett Favre for his first three seasons in the NFL, serving as the Hall of Famer’s backup for the Packers before taking over as the starter in 2008.
Rogers said it was “difficult” to learn Tuesday that Favre, 54, had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“As you get older, some of you know this, mortality gets thrown in your face a little bit more,” Rogers said before the Jets practice Wednesday at Florham Park. “It’s actually, unfortunately, more common to hear about death or a cancer diagnosis or something like that. I don’t become numb to it.
“Yes, I feel sorry for that person, [wife] Deanna. Unfortunately, it’s part of our game. It’s part of the risk of playing in this league, and we all know in our hearts that it could be a reality at some point. We hope that one day, medicine catches up and alleviates the symptoms or eradicates some of these issues that we have.”
Favre, who retired from the NFL in 2010, made the announcement Tuesday while testifying before the House Finance Committee at a congressional hearing on welfare waste and reform.
“Unfortunately, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug that I thought would help others,” Fabre said in prepared remarks. “I was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s, so it was too late, but this is also a cause that is dear to my heart.”
Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder of the nervous system that gets worse over time and has no known cure.
Favre, who played in an NFL-record 297 consecutive games, mentioned in his testimony a now-defunct concussion drug company called Prevacus in which he had invested.
Fabre was previously implicated in the Mississippi welfare scandal in 2020. He was accused of misusing welfare funds for personal projects, but was not criminally charged.
That included building a new volleyball center at his alma mater, the University of Southern Mississippi, where his daughter also played student-athlete.
When asked about his passing record of 321 of his 60,000 career yards, Rodgers also mentioned how Favre often reached milestones.
“I remember when I was a young player, Favre had a lot of records,” Rodgers said. “I think he had 421 touchdown passes. [Dan] It was Marino at the time. All the yardage markers he had, the games he played in a row, and he would always say, ‘It just means I lived a long time.’ And I thought it was more than that.
“I’m where I am right now, and that’s how I feel. I feel like I’ve been playing for a long time, and of course this is part of the process, but I’m still grateful to be playing, grateful for this milestone… but also grateful to all the players who caught my passes, and all the players who blocked for me. I can’t say everyone, but give me some time.”
