This offseason has been a wild one for the NFL, but one of the sad parts has been the news about former players’ health. News of retired players dealing with major health issues after playing for years has never been an uncommon occurrence due to how violent football can be, but it still does not take the sting out of these moments.
Earlier this offseason, it was announced that former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson was diagnosed with ALS, and sadly, he is not the only RB who was diagnosed with a major health issue. Today, it was revealed that Green Bay Packers’ all-time leading rusher Ahman Green was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at age 49.
NFL World Reacts to Ahman Green’s Recent Diagnosis
With the Packers, Green played 8 seasons in Green Bay and became one of the best RBs in franchise history. In that time, Green racked up 8,322 rushing yards, which put him first in Packers history; he holds the franchise single-season rushing record after having 1,883 yards in 2003, and was selected to four Pro Bowls.
Green’s impact in Green Bay was incredible, so when the news was released that the Packers great was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease, the NFL World reacted accordingly:
NFL insider John Frascella pointed out how all the recent news of players being diagnosed is devastating and hinted that playing in the NFL may have led to Green’s diagnosis, “This is all just getting too sad, at this point. Sending my absolute best to Ahman Green and his family. And I know we are all thinking the same thing…”
This is all just getting too sad, at this point.
Sending my absolute best to Ahman Green and his family.
And I know we are all thinking the same thing… https://t.co/kdyQpYaFhV
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) July 30, 2026
One X user simply stated, “Just heartbreaking man”.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM: PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Writer Andrew Donaldson focused on the scariness of the disease, “Wicked illness”.
Wicked illness https://t.co/AhuKg9kNVy
— Andrew Donaldson (@four4thefire) July 30, 2026
Writer and former Southern football player BJ Jones reacted to the news by saying, “Damn man”.
One user on X who has been dealing with Parkinson’s for 20 years showed his support and hope that the disease does not progress fast and wrote, “Stay strong, my man, I’ve had it for 20 years. Hopefully, it’ll be a slow progression like mine.”
Stay strong, my man I’ve had it for 20 years. Hopefully it’ll be a slow progression like mine.
— G Porter (@PorterZoey6481) July 30, 2026
Packers blogger CheeseheadTV sent their support for Green and his family during this difficult time:
Sending love to Ahman and his family 💚💛 https://t.co/lw4sLFrltP
— CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) July 30, 2026
NCAA-focused account CollegeSportsOnly declared Green as a standout player in football history, “One of the greats!”
One of the greats!
— College Sports Only (@CSOonX) July 30, 2026
One Bears fan removed themselves from the team’s rivalry and sent their prayers to Green after the diagnosis. He said, “Sacrificed his body to entertain and play the game he loves. Prayers to him, from a Bears fan”
PREDICT THE NFL SEASON: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Another football fan pointed out the lack of conversation about why the news of former players being diagnosed with major diseases. The account wrote, “All these NFL players getting ALS and Parkinson’s and we refuse to have a conversation. You wanna know why suddenly the NFL’s all in on Flag Football? It’s no accident…”
No matter how much success a player has in the NFL, a diagnosis like Parkinson’s is devastating. It’s good to see that Green is not going to give up and will fight, and hopefully, he can make that happen. The Packers’ all-time rushing leader has a long road ahead of him.
