Hall of Fame RB Marshall Faulk shares Parkinson's diagnosis, says he's 'in a good place' New York Times (Online) Saad Yousuf Marshall Faulk has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the 53-year-old Pro Football Hall of Fame running back shared on The Caring Neurologist podcast this week. Faulk, who said he's “in a good place,” has been living with the diagnosis for over a year and called himself “one of the lucky ones” after catching the disease early. “I spoke with a couple of guys who played NFL football, and they told me about some of the symptoms and things that they had that they thought (were) just football-related, that it didn't relate to Parkinson's in any manner,” Faulk said. “They wish, in those early stages, if they had maybe just (known) a little earlier, they would be in better shape.” Faulk is currently the head football coach of the Southern University Jaguars in Louisiana. The former St. Louis Rams and Indianapolis Colts star took the job after coaching the Colorado Buffaloes running backs under Deion Sanders in 2025. On the podcast this week, Faulk said he gets a physical twice a year and first noticed Parkinson's symptoms while playing golf. “The rigidity in my hand, just sometimes after I play a lot or I practice a lot,” Faulk said. “I just thought it was normal nerves when putting and stuff like that. But it started to be times where I was playing, but I wasn't in a match, and it would still do that. I was like, 'Wow, is that normal?' And the doctor was like, 'You need to go get checked. You need to go have X, Y and Z done. You're at an age, it's possible; it's likely that it's not, but you need to go get checked.'” Faulk said he didn't previously know much about Parkinson's, other than the fact that actor Michael J. Fox and late boxer Muhammad Ali had the disease, but he was able to take the diagnosis in stride because he doesn't view it as terminal. “I didn't look at it like if I got a diagnosis, it was something bad, that life was going to end,” Faulk said. “I treat it like I've had a bunch of surgeries on my right knee. There are some parts in it that aren't mine, that aren't original. My back hurts every once in a while. It's something you live with. It's not to (the point) where it's a detriment to your livelihood. 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.” Numerous NFL players have shared a Parkinson's diagnosis in recent years, including Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre two years ago and former Green Bay Packers running back Ahman Green earlier this year . Faulk said the diagnosis hasn't limited him or forced him to scale back his duties at Southern. “I'm actually doing more, to be honest,” said Faulk, whose Jaguars are 3-4 heading into Saturday's game at Texas Southern. “Since I started on the medication, I don't really have a lot of issues.” Faulk says he has tremors, probably sleeps a little more and still has rigidity in his hands, but it hasn't gotten worse. He said he hasn't really discussed it with his family because his lifestyle has not changed much. “I'm functioning, I'm good,” Faulk said. “I think I caught it early. I'm in a good place.” The Colts selected Faulk out of San Diego State with the No. 2 pick in the 1994 NFL Draft. After five seasons in Indianapolis, the Colts traded Faulk to the Rams, where he became a starring member of The Greatest Show on Turf and helped the Rams win the Super Bowl at the end of the 1999 season. Faulk, known for his versatility as a runner and pass catcher, was the league MVP in 2000 and won three consecutive Offensive Player of the Year awards from 1999 to 2001. The Rams retired Faulk's No. 28, and the Colts inducted him in their Ring of Honor. He retired from the NFL in 2005 and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, part of the Class of 2011.