Marshall Faulk, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back now coaching Southern University, said he has been managing Parkinson's disease for roughly 18 months.
The big picture: Faulk, 53, said he first noticed something wrong when his hand acted up while he was playing golf. He mentioned it in passing at a routine physical and his doctor told him to get checked.
- "I was like, 'Wow, is that something? Is that normal?'" Faulk said on an episode of the "Caring Neurologist" podcast with Dr. Sandeep Thakkar.
Zoom in: Since starting treatment Faulk says he has become more active, is sleeping more and that his daily life is largely unchanged. He still feels rigidity in his hands, and the condition has held steady.
- "The little tremors that I get, you know, they are what they are," he said. "I just pay attention to my gait, when I'm working out, my ability to balance."
Between the lines: Faulk compared managing the disease to recovering from injuries during his playing career, and credited the early catch. He said he has yet to have a full conversation about it with family or friends.
The backstory: Faulk went No. 2 overall in the 1994 draft, won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 1999 and took league MVP in 2000 after leading the NFL with 18 rushing touchdowns and 5.4 yards per carry.
- He retired after 2005 with 12,279 rushing yards and 6,875 receiving yards, one of only three players ever to top 10,000 and 5,000. Southern hired him as head coach on December 1, 2025.
Why it matters: Faulk is going public to push people toward their doctor. "I think I caught it early. I'm in a good place," he said, and early Parkinson's care is one of the few levers that reliably changes how the disease unfolds.
