Brett Favre helped an experimental drug maker get $2M in welfare money. Experts doubt the drug can
Brett Favre helped an experimental drug maker get $2M in welfare money. Experts doubt the drug can work.
Four years ago, Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre joined forces with a Florida neuroscientist to promote an experimental drug a nasal spray designed to quickly treat brain injuries from a concussion.
Favre, a major investor in the company, touted the substance on podcasts, radio interviews and national television, including on NBC. And he did more than evangelize, court records show he successfully lobbied Mississippi state officials who granted the company $2.1 million in federal welfare money that was intended to help poor families.
The payment was illegal, state officials allege in a lawsuit part of a huge Mississippi welfare misspending scandal that has tarnished Favres reputation.
But beyond that, experts say, it was a bad investment by the nations poorest state. Concussions are a huge problem in youth, college and professional sports, but as of today there is no evidence the experimental drug Favre promoted does anything to treat them in humans, according to a review of claims by the company.
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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/brett-favre-helped-experimental-drug-maker-get-2m-welfare-money-expert-rcna58190