Favre, current and former Packers speak about recently revealed Parkinson's diagnosis

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- For the first time, we're hearing Brett Favre talk about the Parkinson's diagnosis he revealed this week.

Current and former Packers are also speaking out about Favre's diagnosis, and the risks of playing the sport they love.

Favre shared his diagnosis with TMZ Sports back in August, but asked they not report the story until he could reveal the news. Now, that interview has been released.

In it, Favre referenced his history of head trauma, the symptoms he's coping with, and how the disease is impacting his life.

Favre recounted doctors telling him, "'If it's not in your family' -and there's none on either side of my family- 'then the first thing we look at is head trauma.' Well, hell, I wrote the book on head trauma."

Favre said he was experiencing mild symptoms for about a year. "I would be doing something, and my right arm, I would notice it was just stuck right there."

He saw five specialists who confirmed the neurological disease. "All five said, 'first of all, it doesn't matter where you got it. You got it, it ain't going away.'"

There is no confirmation Favre's Parkinson's is a result of repeated head trauma, but there are links between the two.

It's not known exactly how many concussions and head injuries the former Packers quarterback suffered over the course of his career.

But the Parkinson's Foundation says just a single concussion increases the likelihood of an eventual Parkinson's diagnosis by 57%.

It's something current players are cognizant of as doctors and the NFL struggle with ways to make football safer.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love said Wednesday, "I'll definitely be praying for Brett, it's a very tough situation."

Love has not had a known concussion yet but said head hits are part of the game. "Taking hits to the head it's one of those things that we know the risks as players, we know what we signed up for and what's out there."

Head coach Matt LaFleur described the news as sad in his Wednesday press conference. "You never want to see that with anybody and especially a legend that's here."

And former Favre mentee Aaron Rodgers weighed in from New Jersey, saying, "I feel bad for him and Deanna."

Rodgers has suffered three known concussions in his NFL career, two in 2010 and another in 2019.

He said, "That's part of the risk of playing and we all, in the back of our mind, know that that could be a reality at some point."

On Wednesday, on the heels of Favre's announcement, longtime Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer announced he was diagnosed with dementia a year ago.

Kramer said his doctors told him he could expect to live two years or ten years, but he just had his yearly checkup and the dementia had not progressed.