Nebraska Football Legend Reveals Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis

Former Nebraska running back Ahman Green revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Green, 49, said he was diagnosed over a year ago. He spoke during an interview on the podcast "Go Long with Tyler Dunne."

"Last year, I got diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's," Green told Dunne. "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."

Before his appearance on the show, Green had only told his family and close friends.

The interview, which was released Wednesday, was Green's way of telling the world and he waited because he wanted those close to him to know first.

"I didn't share it for a long time because I wanted to let my kids know, my family," Green continued. … "I let them all know first before I told friends, family, somebody like yourself."

The former Cornhusker said his short-term memory is "trash." He also twitches in his sleep and sleepwalks.

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.

Ahman Green carries the ball against Oklahoma. — Ahman Green carries the ball during a Nebraska win over Oklahoma. | Nebraska Athletics

Despite the diagnosis, Green has a positive outlook on life. He has a "super clean" diet and exercises regularly.

“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 won two national championships with Nebraska in 1995 and 1997. He was a second-team All-American as a junior, set the program's freshman record for rushing yards in a season with 1,086 and finished his career ranked second on Nebraska's career rushing list with 3,880 yards.

The Omaha native was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 1998 draft but he is best known for his tenure with the Green Bay Packers (2000-06, 2008-09).

Green earned four-straight Pro Bowl appearances with the Packers from 2001-04 and rushed for 8,322 yards as a Packer, which stands as the highest total in the franchise’s storied history. He set a Packers single-season record by rushing for 1,883 yards in 2003.

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.

Add us as a preferred source on Google