During one 2004 game, Favre sustained a concussion but returned after sitting out only two plays and threw a touchdown pass without having been cleared to return to action.

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback appeared at the Republican-led House Ways and Means Committee hearing to advocate reform of the federal welfare system to better prevent fraud.

”The challenges my family and I have faced over the last three years — because certain government officials in Mississippi failed to protect federal TANF funds from fraud and abuse, and are unjustifiably trying to blame me, those challenges have hurt my good name and are worse than anything I faced in football,” Favre said.

House Republicans have said the scandal in Mississippi points to the need for an overhaul in the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Favre says he provided services to the nonprofit that paid him with state funds, but the state auditor has said Favre did not show up for the speaking engagements.

Favre has said he didn’t know the payments he received came from welfare funds and has noted his charity had provided millions of dollars to poor kids in his home state of Mississippi and in Wisconsin, where he played most of his career with the Green Bay Packers.

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.