Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he announced on an Oct. 21 episode of “The Caring Neurologist” podcast with Dr. Sandeep Thakkar. Faulk, 53, said he has been dealing with the condition for about 18 months and described himself as “one of the lucky ones” for catching it early, according to the podcast appearance published Oct. 22.
Faulk, now the head coach at Southern University, said he first noticed symptoms while playing golf, specifically rigidity in his hand after playing or practicing rounds.
How Faulk Discovered The Marshall Faulk Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Faulk said the issue surfaced during one of his twice-yearly physicals. “I get a physical twice a year. I’m a little anal about my health.
I literally asked my doctor because I noticed it as I was playing golf. I noticed the rigidity in my hand after I play a lot or practice a lot, I thought it was just normal nerves when putting and stuff like that. But it started to be times where I wasn’t playing, I mean, where I was playing, but I wasn’t in a match, and it would still do that,” Faulk said, according to the podcast.
He said his doctor pushed him to get tested after hearing the description. “I was like, ‘Wow, is that something? Is that normal?’ And the doctor was like, ‘You need to go get checked. You need to go have X, Y and Z done,'” Faulk said.
What It Means For Faulk’s Health And Routine
Faulk said medication has limited most of his symptoms since starting treatment. “Since I’ve started on the medication, I don’t really have a lot of issues. I might sleep a little more … Other than that, the rigidity in my hands, I still have that.
Can’t say that it’s gotten worse. The little tremors that I get, they are what they are,” he said.
He also said he monitors himself for changes. “I just pay attention to my gait, how I walk, when I’m working out, my ability to balance. It’s still where it is,” Faulk said.
Faulk added that he does not consider the diagnosis a death sentence. “I don’t look at it as something that’s terminal. It’s like ‘Hey, you get to live with this.’ There’s far worse things out there,” he said.
Faulk said he recalled meeting Muhammad Ali after his own diagnosis, saying Ali whispered to him at a fight-night dinner, “You a bad boy.” Faulk said the exchange shaped his outlook: “I was like, ‘He’s all there.’ So knowing that, I didn’t look at it like life is going to end.”
On whether he has told loved ones, Faulk said he has held off for now. “I haven’t really had the conversation with them about it. If it comes a time to where my lifestyle changes, then I will.
Then that conversation could be had. I’m functioning. I’m good.
You know, I just think I caught it early. I’m in a good place,” he said.
Faulk’s Career And Parkinson’s In The NFL
Faulk was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 after a career with the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams that included seven Pro Bowl selections, the 2000 NFL MVP award and a Super Bowl XXXIV title, according to CBS Sports. He finished with 12,279 rushing yards and 6,875 receiving yards, the only player in league history to clear both 12,000 rushing yards and 6,000 receiving yards. He is also enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame for his time at San Diego State.
Faulk joins other former NFL players living with Parkinson’s, including Brett Favre, Ahman Green and Bernie Kosar, per Bleacher Report. A study earlier in 2026 found NFL players face a Parkinson’s mortality risk nearly four times higher than the general population. Parkinson’s is a progressive brain disorder best known for causing tremors, and it has no known cure.
What’s Next
Faulk said he wants his diagnosis to push others toward early screening rather than waiting. “Just start on the medication. Don’t wait for it to get worse,” he said, according to USA Today.
Faulk remains in his first season as Southern University’s head coach, a job he took on Dec. 1, 2025, after serving as running backs coach at Colorado under Deion Sanders. Southern is 1-3 this season, according to Yahoo Sports.
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