“I’m at Increased Risk”: 65-Year-Old NFL Icon Joe Montana Raises Awareness Against a Life-Threatening Disease

Prevention is better than cure. That’s what Joe Montana believes in. The Hall of Famer shifted his focus from the gridiron to spreading awareness about a deadly disease: pneumococcal pneumonia. Being 65 or older is a key risk factor for this disease and that’s why the veteran is taking the necessary steps to protect himself. He also organized a watch party to raise awareness about the same.

He took to Instagram and wrote, “These days, I’m not preparing for the big game on the football field—I’m preparing for the watch party! And one of the only things more important than the snacks at my watch party is making sure I’m helping to protect myself from pneumococcal pneumonia—a potentially serious bacterial lung disease.”

“Because I’m over 65, I’m at increased risk. I got vaccinated because I know the key to victory is a good defense, and I don’t want anything to stand in my way of hosting the best game day watch party,” he added.

The Hall of Fame quarterback partnered with ‘Pfizer’ and ‘Know Pneumonia’ to emphasize the importance of vaccination against pneumococcal pneumonia. Further, he also mentioned that his post was intended for U.S. residents only and for educational purposes. It is also to be noted that the post mentioned it was a paid partnership with ‘Know Pneumonia’.

As per the information available, the CDC recommends adults aged 19-64 with certain chronic health conditions and all adults 65 or older to talk to a healthcare provider about pneumococcal pneumonia vaccination. And that’s why Joe Montana and award-winning broadcaster Sherri Shepherd have taken their vaccinations. In fact, Shepherd has diabetes and, as per her revelation, the vaccination helped her protect herself. Now further, Montana talking about pneumococcal pneumonia is not new. He has been doing so for a while.

Back in February 2023, it was announced that the Hall of Famer was partnering with Pfizer to help people learn about the disease. Since then, he has shared several sponsored posts that raise awareness. But how does Joe Montana look at the issue from an NFL perspective?

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Joe Montana is preparing his teammates to fight against pneumococcal pneumonia

Once a quarterback, always a quarterback. That’s why Montana is building a huge team off the field to clash against the disease. He believes in understanding the opponent, preparing his teammates, and then taking action. He is doing so with the help of medical experts, just like how he would work with coaches as a player for the San Francisco 49ers.

Drafted by the 49ers in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft, he went on to win four Super Bowls and was named to eight Pro Bowls.

As Montana once said: preparation is key. He believes this holds true while competing on the field and also for taking care of one’s health. Through his Instagram posts, he urges people to talk to their healthcare providers about their age and underlying medical conditions and come up with a game plan to protect themselves against pneumococcal pneumonia.

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