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NFL legend Brett Favre has given a rare and emotional insight into his battle with Parkinson's - and his fear of being 'dominated' by the disease.
The Hall of Fame quarterback, who was an ardent supporter of Donald Trump during the election campaign, revealed he had the disease during a congressional hearing in September last year.
Once one of the brightest stars in the National Football League, Favre, 55, played 20 seasons in the NFL. He spent most of his career with the Green Bay Packers, with whom he won the Super Bowl in 1997.
Favre has previously given insights into his battle with Parkinson's and did so again on The Sage Steele Show.
He explained that a new symptom he's struggling with is a difficulty with swallowing and a fear that the disease is 'progressing'.
Favre said: 'There's times where I think I'm choking. It's sort of scary because they can't fix that [but] I try not to think about it. I try to just focus on getting after the day.
NFL legend Brett Favre has given a rare and emotional insight into his battle with Parkinson's
Parkinson’s… Brett Favre is fighting it every single day.@brettfavre reveals how the disease is affecting him — stiffness on his right side, difficulty swallowing, and just enough tremors to remind him something isn’t right.
Instead of giving in, he treats exercise like his… pic.twitter.com/VTHSRTjBjn
'But there are often times during the day, maybe at night, when I decompress and I think I'm progressing a little bit.
'There's no way to predict who is going to progress faster than others. We all age differently. I constantly think about - even though I know I shouldn't - am I going to be the one that ages quicker?
'Is the disease going to eventually dominate me? I think right now [that] I'm dominating the disease.
'I wake up every day and think, did I progress 2% or am I staying the same? Am I looking into this progression more than I should? All those thoughts go through my mind'.
Favre was known for his durability during his Hall of Fame career. He had an NFL-record streak of 297 consecutive starts, a figure that goes up to 321 if playoff games are included.
He won three straight MVP awards with the Green Bay Packers from 1995-97. Favre led the 1996 Packers to their first Super Bowl title in nearly three decades and brought them back to the Super Bowl the following year.
Favre was with Green Bay from 1992-2007 and also played for the Atlanta Falcons (1991), New York Jets (2008) and Minnesota Vikings (2009-10).
Favre has stayed in the headlines recently after Jenn Sterger, the woman who accused Brett Favre of sexual harassment in 2010, revealed a curious detail in a Netflix new documentary about the NFL legend's controversial past.
Favre, 55, played 20 seasons in the NFL and spent most of his career with the Packers
In 2008, Sterger accepted a media position as a New York Jets 'Gameday Host' when she caught the eye of the Favre, who was in the twilight of his career at age 39
In 2008, Sterger accepted a media position as a New York Jets 'Gameday Host' when she caught the eye of the Favre, who was in the twilight of his career with the team at age 39.
It was during this time, she alleged, that Favre left her voicemail messages and even set her a picture of his genitals – something he has denied, while admitting to calling her.
However, Sterger revealed stunning details about the ordeal in the documentary. 'So, here's the craziest part about the whole scandal — I've never met Brett Favre. We've never been in the same room, we've never shaken hands, we had no kind of relationship, no rapport, nothing.'
Although both shared an employer, Sterger and Favre worked in very different areas of the business.
By 2010, both Sterger and Favre had moved on from the Jets when nude photos allegedly sent by the quarterback to the younger TV host surfaced on Deadspin.
Sterger publicly accused Favre of sexual harassment in 2010 after she was let go by the Jets. By 2010, Favre was winding up his career with the Minnesota Vikings.
In the end, Favre was fined $50,000 for failing to cooperate with the NFL investigation. Officially, the league never proved it was Favre who sent the photos to Sterger, so he was not found to be in violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy.
Favre was 39 when with the New York Jets in 2008, two years before the scandal broke
He and the Jets both declined to be involved with the Netflix special.
'My life was ruined and he went to the Hall of Fame,' Sterger told Netflix.
Of course, Favre has faced other allegations of misconduct, including his recent welfare scandal in Mississippi that led to six arrests after $94 million in alleged fraud was revealed by the state auditor.
Favre was never charged, and while he has denied knowingly receiving welfare funds, he has been forced to make $1 million in repayments to the government.
