BATON ROUGE — NFL Hall of Famer and Southern Head Coach Marshall Faulk disclosed that he has Parkinson's disease on a podcast.

Faulk, 53, talked about the diagnosis 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 and balance.

He said on the podcast that he had been dealing with the disease for a year and a half.

Faulk, a New Orleans native, was introduced as Southern’s new coach this past offseason; he was Colorado's running back coach under Deion Sanders beforehand, and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2011. He won an MVP with the then-St. Louis Rams as a major part of the "Greatest Show on Turf" offense.

He said he told his doctor during a physical that he noticed rigidity in his hand as he was playing golf, and his doctor told him "you need to go get checked."

Faulk said since he started on medication, he doesn't "have a lot of issues," but he still feels the rigidity in his hands.

"I just pay attention to my gait, you know, while I walk, when I'm working out, my ability to balance," Faulk said. "It’s still where it is."

He also said that he hadn't had a conversation with family and friends about the diagnosis, but said he would if his lifestyle changes.

"I'm functioning. I'm good. You know, I just I think I caught it early. I'm in a good place."

Marshall Faulk issued the following statement:

"Taking care of your health and being proactive about your well-being is one of the most important things you can do. I make it a priority to see my doctors annually and stay on top of my health. Through that process, an early finding related to Parkinson’s disease has brought an important issue to my attention, and I want to use this opportunity to help educate others.

I was recently asked to participate in a podcast to discuss Parkinson’s disease, and I welcome the opportunity to bring greater awareness to this condition. My goal is to encourage my brothers who shared the football field with me, along with athletes and men everywhere, to take their health seriously, schedule regular medical checkups, pay attention to changes in their bodies and seek medical guidance when something doesn’t feel right.

Early evaluation, an accurate diagnosis and appropriate medical care can make a meaningful difference in managing Parkinson’s disease. Too often, we put our health on the back burner while focusing on our families, careers and responsibilities. We cannot afford to do that.

Football taught us the importance of preparation, discipline and looking out for one another. Those lessons do not end when we leave the field. We must continue to look out for our brothers by encouraging one another to get checked, ask questions and seek the proper care.

This is bigger than football. It is about our health, our families and our future. If sharing my experience encourages even one person to speak with a doctor, get evaluated or take a proactive approach to their health, then the conversation will have been worthwhile."