NFL Update: Joe Burrow's Endurance and Brett Favre's Parkinson's Battle
Olivia Ponton, who is rumored to be the girlfriend of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, recently shared reflections on the challenging 2025 year in a two-day social media Q&A. She highlighted October 2025 as a particularly difficult month. Burrow was sidelined during 2025 due to a turf toe injury but made a return for the team's Thanksgiving night game against the Baltimore Ravens. Despite setbacks, Burrow expressed that his desire to win remains strong and emphasized the importance of enjoying the game. He described his career as a reflection process involving many factors, acknowledging the mental and physical challenges, and voiced his aim to have fun playing again. Ponton noted that 2025 was a year focused on stability and consistency to set the tone for 2026, with plans to travel to new countries and begin the year positively. Additionally, in December 2024, she was linked to Burrow as the person who reported a break-in at his home, although she did not publicly comment on the incident.
In a separate update, NFL legend Brett Favre provided insight into his fight with Parkinson's disease, which he announced in September 2024. During the latest episode of his podcast "4th and Favre," he described his diagnosis of idiopathic Parkinson's—the most common form of the disease. His dominant symptoms include rigidity and stiffness, cognitive and memory effects, and occasional tremors. He experiences stiffness upon waking before taking medication, which helps ease the symptoms and improve his mobility. Fatigue is common toward the end of the day, accompanied by some shaking. Favre stated there is currently no cure for Parkinson's and acknowledged that while some claim a cure could be five years away, he remains cautiously skeptical. Reflecting on his athletic career, Favre believed that he could have played at least one NFL series until around age 50, comparing himself to Philip Rivers, who returned to play at 44. His NFL career spanned from 1991 to 2010 and included stints with the Packers, Falcons, Jets, and Vikings. He retired with 71,838 passing yards, 508 touchdown passes, and one Super Bowl title with the Packers. Favre is 56 years old at the time of the report.
