Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer reveals heartbreaking Parkinson's diagnosis… and opens up on moment he realized something was wrong

Green Bay Packers legend Ahman Green has revealed he was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease after first noticing troubling symptoms during his sleep.

The 49-year-old former running back, who remains Green Bay’s all-time leading rusher, opened up about his health battle on the Go Long podcast with host Tyler Dunne, sharing that he was officially diagnosed in January 2025.

Green explained that he began suspecting something was wrong when his body started twitching uncontrollably at night, a symptom his wife noted had actually been happening since shortly after he retired from the NFL in 2009.

‘Last year, I got diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s,’ Green revealed. ‘I had a little bit of the feet twitching when I’m in my sleep and stuff like that.

‘I knew something was going on long before that. I just got a hold of some doctors that I was able to get in contact with. Get the diagnostics, get the testing. And finally got it tested last – it was January of 2025.’

Alongside physical twitching, the four-time Pro Bowler admitted he has struggled with short-term memory loss, as well as walking and talking in his sleep.

Packers icon Ahman Green revealed he was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease

The 49-year-old former running back remains Green Bay’s all-time leading rusher

Green explained that he chose to keep his diagnosis private for over a year so he could communicate the devastating news to his immediate family first. 

‘I didn’t share it for a long time because I wanted to let my kids know, my family,’ Green said. ‘I let them all know first before I told friends and family.’

Despite the diagnosis, the Packers Hall of Famer remains optimistic and proactively managing the condition through medication, rigorous workouts and strict nutrition.

 He is also using his platform to advocate for early screening and greater public awareness regarding Parkinson’s disease and its potential connection to football-related head trauma. 

‘It needs to be up front,’ Green urged. ‘It needs to be a topic that’s always hit. And it’s not the end all. To me, I have a jump ahead of it.

‘Just like anybody discovering that they have some type of cancer in their body, I’m ahead of it right now.’

Drafted in 1998 out of Nebraska, Green spent eight of his 12 NFL seasons with the Packers, amassing a franchise-record 8,322 rushing yards before hanging up his cleats in 2009.