Marshall Faulk reveals Parkinson's diagnosis, says he caught it early and is 'in a good place'

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk, now the head coach at Southern University, has revealed that he has Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement.

Faulk, 53, shared the diagnosis on an Oct. 21 episode of “The Caring Neurologist” with Dr. Sandeep Thakkar, USA TODAY reported. He called himself “one of the lucky ones” for catching it early.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Anyone with symptoms or questions about Parkinson’s disease should talk to a doctor.

How did Marshall Faulk find out he had Parkinson’s?

Faulk said he first noticed something on the golf course. “The rigidity in my hand, just sometimes after I play a lot or I practice a lot,” he said, according to USA TODAY. “I just thought it was, you know, normal nerves when putting and stuff like that.”

When the stiffness started showing up away from golf, he raised it with his doctor during one of his twice-yearly physicals. “I was like, ‘Wow, is that something? Is that normal?’” Faulk said, per CBS Sports. The doctor told him to get it checked.

CBS Sports reported that he has been dealing with the disease for about 18 months. USA TODAY reported that conversations with other former NFL players, whose symptoms could have been mistaken for football-related problems, helped lead to his early detection.

How is he doing now?

By his own account, he’s doing well. “Since I’ve started on the medication, I don’t really have a lot of issues,” Faulk said, per USA TODAY. He said the condition hasn’t gotten worse, and CBS Sports reported that he says he has become more active and is sleeping more since starting treatment.

He still has some symptoms. “The little tremors that I get, you know, they are what they are,” he said. “I just pay attention to my gait, while I walk, when I’m working out, my ability to balance. It’s still where it is.”

He compared managing the disease to dealing with injuries as a player. “I didn’t look at it like if I got a diagnosis, it was something bad that I was, you know, life was going to end,” Faulk said. “Now, if you don’t take care of it, there’s an opportunity for that to be, but you have to take care of it.”

Why he’s speaking out

Faulk said he hasn’t really discussed the diagnosis with family and friends. “If it comes a time to where my lifestyle changes, then I will,” he said. “I’m functioning. I’m good. You know, I just think I caught it early. I’m in a good place.”

He is going public to encourage people not to ignore warning signs. “The earlier you catch it, the better chance you have at living a better quality of life with medication compared to if you catch it later,” he said. His advice: “Just start on the medication. Don’t wait for it to get worse.”

USA TODAY noted that his interview comes in the wake of former Tennessee Titans star Chris Johnson’s ALS diagnosis.

Who is Marshall Faulk?

Faulk is widely regarded as one of the best running backs in NFL history. According to CBS Sports:

• At San Diego State, he led the nation’s top college division in rushing three straight years and finished second in the 1992 Heisman Trophy voting.
• The Colts took him No. 2 overall in the 1994 NFL Draft.
• After a 1999 trade to the St. Louis Rams, he helped them win the Super Bowl that season, becoming the second player with 1,000 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
• He was the 2000 NFL MVP, a seven-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro.
• He retired after the 2005 season with 12,279 rushing yards, 6,875 receiving yards and 136 total touchdowns, and entered the Hall of Fame in 2011.

He was named Southern’s head coach on Dec. 1, 2025, after working as Deion Sanders’ running backs coach at Colorado.

FAQ

Does Marshall Faulk have Parkinson’s? Yes. He revealed the diagnosis on an Oct. 21 podcast episode.

How long has he had it? About 18 months, according to CBS Sports.

Is he still coaching at Southern? Nothing in the reports suggests otherwise. He said his life has stayed largely the same and that he is functioning well.