Aaron Rodgers reacts to news about Brett Favre and Parkinson's diagnosis

Aaron Rodgers was in a joyful mood as he spoke about the performance of his New York Jets (2-1) during his weekly press conference on Wednesday.

The mood changed, however, when the topic turned to the health of Brett Favre, who announced during a congressional hearing on Tuesday that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Rodgers and Favre were teammates on the Green Bay Packers from 2005 to 2007. Although their relationship was rocky at first after the Packers hired Rodgers as Favre's successor, they have since developed a close bond.

Rodgers said it was “tough” to learn of Favre's Parkinson's diagnosis, but he also understands that brain and neurological disorders can be an unfortunate consequence of playing football.

Favre said his doctors told him that the number of concussions he suffered in his 20-year Ironman career made him more susceptible to a disease like Parkinson's. Favre told TMZ that he received the diagnosis in January.

Favre had previously stated that he had three or four known concussions, but estimated in a 2018 interview that it was likely hundreds or even thousands based on the symptoms he had exhibited over the years.

“The older you get, the more mortality is brought home to us,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “It's actually more normal to hear about a death or a cancer diagnosis or a diagnosis like that. And it doesn't desensitize me. I feel sorry for him and (his wife) Deanna.”

DOUGHERTY: Former Packers quarterback Brett Favre paid a high price for his status as a football star

Rodgers has been confirmed to have suffered a concussion three times during his career, including two in the 2010 season.

A 2020 study from the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health concluded that a single concussion increases the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by 57% and the risk of dementia by 72%.

“But unfortunately that's part of our game,” Rodgers said of brain injuries. “That's part of the risk of playing and we all know in the back of our minds that that can become a reality at some point.”

“We just hope that medicine can eventually catch up and either alleviate the symptoms or eliminate some of these problems.”

Current Packers quarterback Jordan Love also addressed Favre's diagnosis on Wednesday, saying he was “praying for Brett.”

Aaron Rodgers reaches almost 60,000 passing yards

Rodgers approaches a milestone in Sunday's Week 4 game against the Denver Broncos.

He is only 321 yards away from 60,000 passing yards. Only eight quarterbacks in NFL history have reached that number. Favre is fourth on the all-time list with 71,838 yards.

“It means I've been playing a long time,” Rodgers said when asked about the significance of that mark. “I remember when I was younger, there were a lot of records that Favre set. I think he had 421 touchdowns, surpassing (Dan) Marino at the time (in 2007, that was the all-time record, a record that has since been surpassed). All the yard marks he had, the consecutive games. He always said it just means I've been around a long time. I was like, 'It means a little bit more than that.'

“But now I'm in this position, that's how it feels. It feels like I've been playing for a long time. Of course, that's part of the process. I'm thankful that I'm still playing and that there are milestones like this that you can achieve. I'm thankful for all the guys that caught passes for me, all the guys that blocked for me.”

Aaron Rodgers reacts to news about Brett Favre and Parkinson's diagnosis

ByVanessa

Aaron Rodgers reaches almost 60,000 passing yards

By Vanessa

Related Post

Ohio State 35-7 Iowa (Oct. 5, 2024) Game Recap

Stephen Thompson defends the duel between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov

Ryan Spann rocks, tips Ovince Saint Preux in 95 seconds

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You missed

Helmet sticker in support of the victims of Hurricane Helene

Ohio State 35-7 Iowa (Oct. 5, 2024) Game Recap

Stephen Thompson defends the duel between Belal Muhammad and Shavkat Rakhmonov

Ryan Spann rocks, tips Ovince Saint Preux in 95 seconds