marshall faulk diagnosed with parkinson’s

Southern football coach Marshall Faulk reveals he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease
BY TOYLOY BROWN III | Staff writer 2 hrs ago
2 min to read

Southern coach Marshall Faulk revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in a podcast interview released on Wednesday.

Faulk, 53, shared the news on an episode of “Caring Neurologist” with Dr. Sandeep Thakkar, whose show primarily talks about the disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system affecting the body’s movement.

Faulk said he’s well physically and mentally, as he has been dealing with the disease for about a year and a half. He first realized there was an issue with his hand 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, you know, normal nerves when putting and stuff like that.”

He spoke to his doctor about it at one of his two physicals per year after he had the same hand issues when he wasn’t golfing.

“I was like, ‘Wow, is that something?’” Faulk said. “‘Is that normal?’ And the doctor was — he literally was like, ‘You need to go get checked.’”

Faulk called himself “one of the lucky ones” who got the diagnosis early and said he’s not in poor spirits because it’s something that can be managed through treatment, comparing it to recovering from injuries during his NFL career.

The Jaguars’ first-year coach said he has become more active and is sleeping more since beginning treatment. While life has remained normal, he still experiences rigidity in his hands, but the condition has not worsened.

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

The podcast host asked Faulk if he shared his diagnosis with family and friends.

“I haven’t really had the conversation with them about it,” he said. “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.”

Faulk said he wants to advocate for people to seek help if they experience symptoms, regardless of how much money they have. He said that people shouldn’t limit themselves because there are multiple avenues to treatment.

Faulk, a New Orleans native, was introduced as Southern’s new coach Dec. 1, 2025. Before leading the program, he was the running backs coach at Colorado.

He was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2011 after a 12-year career, notching 12,279 yards rushing, 6,875 yards receiving and 136 total touchdowns. The former second overall pick in the 1994 NFL Draft is one of two running backs in the league’s history with at least 12,000 rushing and 5,000 career receiving yards. The other tailback is Marcus Allen.

Faulk was a Super Bowl XXIV champion with the then-St. Louis Rams and was the Associated Press NFL MVP that season. He is a seven-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. He was also a major part of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” offense. After his playing career, he became an analyst at NFL Network.

Faulk attended Carver High School in New Orleans and then starred at San Diego State University. In three seasons with the Aztecs, he rushed for 4,589 yards — 6 yards per attempt — and 57 touchdowns across three seasons.

Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com.