Yesterday, during a congressional hearing, NFL legend Brett Favre announced that he has Parkinson’s. It was the most cynical play for sympathy by any superstar athlete in US history. After all, he was summoned to explain why he conspired with a bunch of good old White boys to siphon off millions in Mississippi welfare funds. Congress appropriated these funds to provide basic public services for poor Black folks, like clean running water and sewage treatment plants. Favre used his cut to build a shiny new gym for his daughter’s predominantly White and relatively rich school.
But instead of coming clean, Favre threw a “Hail Mary” straight from the playbook of distraction: “I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.” Really? As if that diagnosis explains and even excuses siphoning off funds from welfare programs. This was nothing more than a Trumpian ploy — deflecting and playing the victim. But don’t expect Mississippi Blacks to feel “heartbroken” that he tried to deflect from their loss by revealing his Parkinson’s.
Apropos of Trumpian antics, this hypocritical testimony came on the heels of the preening hypocrisy Favre showed just days ago. He dissed Taylor Swift for using her platform to endorse Kamala, despite the fact that he used his to endorse Trump. The hypocrisy is almost enough to make you forget he fumbled this welfare scandal from the start. Almost.
