Green Bay Packers franchise rushing leader Ahman Green revealed he has been battling early-onset Parkinson’s disease following a medical diagnosis in January 2025. Speaking on the “Go Long” podcast with host Tyler Dunne, the 49-year-old former NFL star shared his health update publicly after choosing to first inform his children and immediate family.
Green explained that subtle warning signs appeared years before his formal testing, including involuntary movements during sleep and recent difficulties with short-term memory. “I had a little bit of the feet twitching when I’m in my sleep and stuff like that,” Green said. “I mean, I knew something was going on long before that. I just got a hold of some doctors (and) was able to get in contact with and get the diagnostics, get the testing and finally got it tested.” He explained his delay in going public by noting, “I didn’t share it for a long time because I wanted to let my kids know, my family,” adding that he wanted to communicate with loved ones first.
Despite the progressive nature of the movement disorder, the four-time Pro Bowler emphasized that he is taking an assertive approach through specialized medical care, rigorous exercise, and dietary choices. “Just like anybody discovering that they have some type of cancer in their body, I’m ahead of it right now,” Green stated. Stating that open conversations about neurological conditions “needs to be up front,” Green expressed determination to maintain personal control. “I got the reins,” he remarked. “I’m in control. I’m not going to let this control me.” Facing the health battle with his trademark athletic resilience, he added, “The way I look at it, my clock is going to stop ticking when I want it to stop ticking. It’s the way I ran the ball. That’s how I look at it. You’ve got to break both my legs to stop me.”
Over a distinguished 12-year professional career, Green achieved franchise-record status in Green Bay by accumulating 8,322 rushing yards across two separate stints, surpassing Hall of Famer Jim Taylor and setting the team’s single-season rushing record with 1,883 yards in 2003. The former University of Nebraska standout was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2014. Green represents the second prominent member from that era of Packers football to publicly share a Parkinson’s diagnosis, following legendary quarterback Brett Favre.
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