GREEN BAY, Wis. — Ahman Green, a four-time Pro Bowl running back and the Green Bay Packers’ career rushing leader, said he learned last year that he has early onset Parkinson’s disease.
The 49-year-old Green discussed his diagnosis this week on Tyler Dunne's "Go Long" podcast.
“I know unfortunately there’s a day we eventually, where our clock stops ticking,” Green said. “The way I look at it, my clock is going to stop ticking when I want it to stop ticking.”
Green said it’s similar to the approach he took while running the ball during a 12-year NFL career in which he rushed for 9,205 yards and 60 touchdowns. His last season was 2009.
Green said his symptoms began when his feet started twitching in his sleep.
“I knew something was going on long before that,” he said.
Parkinson’s is a neurologic disease that robs people of control over their movements. It typically starts with tremors and is characterized by slow movement, a shuffling gait, stiff limbs, balance problems and slurred speech.
Green said he sometimes sleepwalks and has no recollection of it afterward. He called his short-term memory “trash,” but said his long-term memory is better.
He expressed optimism about his long-term outlook while pointing out he exercises regularly and has a “super clean” diet.
Green rushed for at least 1,163 yards each season from 2000-04 while playing for the Packers. He earned four straight Pro Bowl appearances from 2001-04.
He rushed for 8,322 yards as a Packers player, the highest total in the franchise’s storied history. He set a Packers single-season record by rushing for 1,883 yards in 2003.
Green’s NFL career began with the Seattle Seahawks, who selected him out of Nebraska in the third round of the 1998 draft. He spent two seasons with Seattle before getting traded to Green Bay in April 2000.
He played for the Packers from 2000-06, spent 2007-08 with the Houston Texans and returned to Green Bay for one last season.
Green's announcement comes two years after former Packers teammate Brett Favre disclosed that he has Parkinson's disease. Green said he spoke with Favre a couple of weeks ago to catch up but added that he planned to call the Hall of Fame quarterback to let him know "he has a brother right behind him."
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