Why Super Bowl Champ Dallas Goedert Is Raising Awareness About Plaque Psoriasis

Super Bowl LIX champion Dallas Goedert of the Philadelphia Eagles shares his journey with plaque psoriasis, an autoimmune skin condition. Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

• Super Bowl LIX champion Dallas Goedert of the Philadelphia Eagles shares his journey with plaque psoriasis.
• After 20 years of living with the autoimmune condition, Goedert is raising awareness.
• Goedert wants to inform NFL teammates, fans, and anyone interested in learning more about the chronic skin condition.

Dallas Goedert is a Super Bowl LIX champion for his role as a tight end with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the February 9 victory against the Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded two receptions for 27 yards.

“It was so much fun. Hard to believe. It feels like I’m dreaming, but it’s starting to become reality more and more now that I’m home,” Goedert told Healthline after his Super Bowl win.

Geodert’s next mission is to use his platform as a football star to raise awareness about plaque psoriasis, an autoimmune skin condition he was diagnosed with when he was 10 years old.

As the most common form of psoriasis, plaque psoriasis affects about 80 to 90% of people with psoriasis.

“I never had somebody that I could look up to… a celebrity or somebody famous that has psoriasis, so being able to talk about my story is important to me because if I can help another kid struggling with the same thing I struggled with, that just means so much to me,” Goedert said.

I am just another human.

Dallas Goedert

What is plaque psoriasis?

Plaque psoriasis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease driven by an overactive immune system.

“This means that it’s not just about the visible plaques; it’s linked to joint disease (psoriatic arthritis), cardiovascular risk, metabolic syndrome, and even mental health [issues] like depression and anxiety,” Adam Friedman, MD, professor of dermatology at George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, DC, told Healthline.

“[Many] medical problem[s] can be linked to psoriasis, as chronic inflammation is bad for every organ system.”

The chronic condition causes psoriasis plaques, which are raised, inflamed, and scaly patches of skin that can cause itchiness and pain.

While the condition has never interfered with Goedert’s ability to practice or play football, he said wearing pads and being stuck in sweat for long periods of time can make his skin feel itchy.

“[But] all those things are things I’ve had to deal with and overcome,” he said. “It’s never fun, but you have to do a lot of things in your life that aren’t fun or are hard, and you just find a way to get through.”

The plaques may appear different depending on the color of your skin.

The National Psoriasis Foundation explains that plaques often appear as raised, red patches covered with a silvery white buildup of dead skin cells or scales on Caucasian skin. On skin of color, the plaques might look darker and thicker and have a purple, grayish, or darker brown color.

Because the plaques are visible, people often misunderstand the condition as being contagious — but it’s not.

“The plaques are caused by dysregulated skin cell turnover driven by inflammation, not infection,” Friedman explained. “Despite this, many patients still face stigma and social ostracism, as bystanders see red, flaky patches and assume infection, among other things, which can take a toll on their confidence and social interactions.”

Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert at his home in the Philadelphia suburbs. Image Provided by Dallas Goedert

Goedert can relate. “As a kid, I got spots on my skin, went to school, and teachers [and] friends were asking me ‘what is this? Is it contagious?’ Different things of that sort,” he said.

“[Being] embarrassed, getting asked those questions was never fun.”

As an adult and professional football player, Goedert still fields similar questions. Early in his NFL career, he tried to hide his condition.

“When it’s on my arms, I’d wear long sleeves, try to cover up. When we go outside and have a workout in the sun, I kept my shirt on when a lot of people took their shirts off to get the sunshine,” Goedert recalled.

Now, Goedert uses these opportunities to explain what plaque psoriasis is.

“It was really important to spread the word; let my teammates know that I have plaque psoriasis — it’s not contagious. It’s something that starts within your body and shows on the outside,” he said.

Finding the right treatment for plaque psoriasis

When Goedert first showed signs of plaque psoriasis, his mother recognized the condition because a few family members also lived with it.  

“So she was really instrumental [and] she took me to a doctor,” he said. “[Ever] since I was 10 years old, I’ve been trying different topicals, different things to help my plaque psoriasis.”

Topical treatments are used to treat mild cases of the condition. “Corticosteroids, vitamin D analogs, and newer nonsteroidal agents like tapinarof or roflumilast can help control localized plaques,” Friedman said.

But for Goedert, topicals aren’t the most effective.

“[Being] a football player — sweating a lot, getting in and out of cold tubs, showering after workouts and practice —it was hard for me to put on topicals multiple times a day and keep it on long enough to have their effects,” he said.

His doctor recommended he try the oral medication apremilast (Otezla), which he finds effective. Other oral treatments include TYK2 inhibitors like deucravacitinib.

“I would just tell everyone, anybody that’s dealing with it, talk to your doctor because there are so many different ways to treat it and everybody can find the right solution for their lifestyle,” said Goedert.

Friedman said other treatments for psoriasis include:

• Phototherapy (UVB light therapy) is used to treat widespread but moderate disease. It uses targeted UV light to slow down excessive skin cell growth.
• Biologics (injectables) target specific immune pathways driving psoriasis and effectively clear skin and prevent long-term inflammation.

“Biologics like risankizumab, guselkumab, secukinumab, and bimekizumab have set a high bar, offering rapid, durable skin clearance with minimal side effects,” Friedman said. He added that psoriasis treatment has come a long way, and many effective treatments exist.

“Given the options, the current mindset is we treat to clearance, which even 10 to 15 years ago was no easy feat,” Friedman said. “With the right treatment, clear skin is not only a real possibility for many patients but is an expectation today. This isn’t a condition people have to ‘live with.’”

The improvements keep coming too, he added.  

“We’re seeing ongoing breakthroughs in targeted therapies as well as optimization of said therapies to induce long standing remission, microbiome research, and even personalized medicine approaches that will continue to redefine what’s possible for psoriasis patients,” Friedman said.

[Any] positive impact I can have on other people is pretty special.

Dallas Goedert

Helping young people learn more about the condition

Goedert teamed up with Amgen, makers of Otezla, to share his story at DallasGStory.com.

“I am just another human. We all go through our own issues and plaque psoriasis has been a big one in my life so it’s just so cool that I can [use] my platform and share my story, something I care about and want to get other people to learn about,” he said.

Comforting and inspiring young football fans is most meaningful to him.

“I had kids reach out to me saying, ‘I struggle with plaque psoriasis; thank you for talking about it,’ and that just means the world to me,” Goedert said.

“[Any] positive impact I can have on other people is pretty special.”

Takeaway

After his big Super Bowl LIX win, Dallas Goedert, a tight end of the Philadelphia Eagles, is sharing his 20-year journey with plaque psoriasis. Goedert is raising awareness about the autoimmune skin disorder, hoping to inspire and support others who live with the condition.