Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he revealed in an episode of the “Caring Neurologist” podcast released Wednesday.
Currently working as a head coach at Southern University, Faulk said he has suffered from the disorder for a year and a half and caught it early, leading to successful treatment so far. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive brain disorder known to cause tremors, with no known cure.
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Faulk, 53, said he was diagnosed after noticing problems while playing golf and talking to his doctor:
“I get a physical twice a year. I’m a little anal about my health. I literally asked my doctor because I noticed it when I was playing golf. I noticed the stiffness in my hand after playing a lot or practicing a lot, I thought it was just normal nerves when putting and stuff like that. But there started to be times where I wasn’t playing – I mean, where I was playing, but I wasn’t not in a match, and it would continue.
“I was like, ‘Wow, is this something? Is this normal?” And the doctor said to me, ‘You need to go get checked out.’ You need to get X, Y and Z done.’
Faulk stressed the importance of early treatment and noted that his medication has so far allowed him to continue living his life:
“Since I’ve been taking the medication, I haven’t really had a lot of problems. I’m maybe sleeping a little more… Other than that, the stiffness in my hands, I still have that. I can’t say it’s gotten worse. The little tremors that I have, that’s what they are. I just pay attention to my gait, the way I walk, when I work out, my ability to balance. It’s still there.
“I don’t look at it as something terminal. It’s like, ‘Hey, you have to live with this.’ There are much worse things out there. »
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease are widely known as a risk that can arise from a long football career. A study earlier this year found that NFL players had a nearly four times higher risk of Parkinson’s mortality than the average person.
Brett Favre, Ahman Green and Bernie Kosar are among the former NFL players currently living with Parkinson’s disease. Another famous case is that of the late Muhammad Ali, who died in 2016.
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Faulk recalled meeting Ali after his diagnosis and said he was now comforted by what he saw:
“I was at one of his dinners on fight night and I sat next to him. He leaned over to me and he whispered, ‘You’re a bad boy.’ And then he made a few other comments. I said to myself: “He’s all there. » Knowing this, I didn’t think that life would end.
“I treat it like I’ve had many operations on my right knee. There are some parts that aren’t mine, that aren’t original. My back, it hurts from time to time. It’s something we live with. It’s not to the detriment of our livelihood. Now, if you don’t take it, there’s an opportunity for it to be (a detriment). But you have to take care of it.”
Faulk was enshrined in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his career with the St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts, as well as the College Football Hall of Fame for his time at San Diego State. He remains one of the greatest running backs in NFL history and is the only player in the league to surpass 12,000 rushing yards and 6,000 receiving yards in his career.
A seven-time Pro Bowl player, 2000 NFL MVP and Super Bowl XXXIV champion, Faulk began his coaching career last season as the running backs coach at Colorado. He is in his first season at Southern, which is currently 1-3.
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