Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre was on NBC’s “Megyn Kelly Today” on Thursday discussing brain injuries in football, and he fears he’s had thousands of concussions.
Favre referred to the movie Concussion, where Dr. Bennett Omalu, played by actor Will Smith, likens getting “dinged” or experiencing ringing in the ears to a concussion.
“If that is a concussion, I have had hundreds, probably thousands throughout my career. Which is frightening,” Favre said, while adding that team doctors only diagnosed him with 3-4 concussions during his 20-year playing career.
The movie put a spotlight on brain injuries, specifically Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), the degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive blows to the head.
“I wonder if that’s what it is, or do I have early stages of CTE? I don’t know. It makes you wonder,” Favre said.
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The former Vikings and Packers gunslinger said he struggles with short-term memory, but at 48 years old he’s not sure if it’s a product or natural aging or a result of head injuries.
“I find that more short-term memory, someone I met six months ago, it has gotten a lot worse. Simple words that would normally come out easy in a conversation, I’ll stammer.”
Favre was joined by other sports stars who are promoting Prevasol, a concussion-treatment drug currently in clinical trials.
