Tejal Somvanshi
Marshall Faulk is one of the most decorated running backs in NFL history. He is also, as he disclosed publicly this week, living with a Parkinson's diagnosis he received 18 months ago — and he is still coaching a college football team. The disclosure came on The Caring Neurologist podcast, where Faulk spoke with Dr. Sandeep Thakkar about how he found out and what his life has looked like since.
Faulk, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who played 12 NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and St. Louis Rams, is currently the head football coach at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease approximately 18 months before his public disclosure. He told Dr. Thakkar that he manages his symptoms with medication and has continued in his coaching role without interruption. Southern University Athletics released a statement confirming Faulk's status and his intention to remain in the position.
Faulk's decision to speak publicly about his diagnosis could shift how middle-aged and older adults — athletes and non-athletes alike — think about subtle motor symptoms they might be inclined to dismiss as normal aging. Parkinson's disease is progressive. Catching it early allows patients to begin treatment that can help manage symptoms and maintain function. Catching it before major functional decline gives patients more time to work with physicians on symptom management, physical therapy, and medication adjustment.
The Golf Course Symptom That Led Faulk to a Neurologist
Faulk told Dr. Thakkar that the first thing he noticed was stiffness in his hand while putting. The stiffness persisted after he left the course, and he mentioned it to his physician during a routine annual physical rather than dismissing it. His doctor referred him to a specialist, and the subsequent evaluation produced the diagnosis.
The sequence illustrates how early-stage Parkinson's symptoms can appear subtle enough to be dismissed without a medical prompt. The disease can present as subtle, one-sided hand stiffness, a mild resting tremor, or a slight change in handwriting before more recognizable symptoms like sustained tremor or gait changes appear. Early Parkinson's symptoms and when to see a neurologist explains what motor signs prompt a specialist evaluation and how the diagnosis process works.
Faulk was in his fifties when he noticed the stiffness while putting. Such symptoms can be easy to dismiss as a normal part of aging. His choice to ask a doctor about it rather than wait for the symptom to worsen is the specific factor that made early detection possible in his case.
Research into Parkinson's rates among former professional contact-sport athletes remains active, with some studies showing associations between repeated head impacts and later neurological changes. NFL players and neurological disease: current research covers the state of the evidence on that relationship.
What were Marshall Faulk's early Parkinson's symptoms?
Faulk reported persistent hand stiffness while putting that would not resolve after he stopped playing. When it continued, he mentioned it at a routine physical exam. His doctor referred him to a specialist, which led to the Parkinson's diagnosis approximately 18 months ago.
Faulk told Dr. Thakkar he plans to continue coaching at Southern University. He described himself as being "in a good place."
