Philadelphia Eagles’ Dallas Goedert Reveals the ‘Game Changer’ for His Health While Celebrating Super Bowl Win (Exclusive)
The Eagles tight end spoke to PEOPLE following his 2025 Super Bowl win over the Chiefs
Jonathan Bachman/Getty
Dallas GoedertDallas Goedert is coming off a high of the Philadelphia Eagles' 40-22 blowout win over the Kansas City Chiefs at the 2025 Super Bowl in New Orleans on Feb. 9.
“It was a ton of fun,” he tells PEOPLE of the big game. “It's still hard to believe. It feels like I'm dreaming, but I'm enjoying it, that's for sure.”
But the Eagles tight end, 30, is even more thrilled that he made it through the win without worrying about any uncomfortable flare-ups of his plaque psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a chronic disease in which the immune system becomes overactive, causing skin cells to multiply too quickly, leading to scaly, inflamed patches of skin, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Plaque psoriasis — the most common type — is characterized by raised, red patches of skin (plaques) covered with silvery-white scales. They typically develop in a symmetrical pattern on the body and tend to appear on the scalp, trunk, and limbs, especially the elbows and knees.
Related: 17 Celebrities Who've Spoken Candidly About Their Psoriasis
Bob Kupbens/Icon Sportswire via Getty
TE Dallas Goedert #88 of the Philadelphia EaglesNever miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Goedert was diagnosed when he was about 10 years old. He grew up being embarrassed of the skin disease — especially as an athlete —and has been trying to find solutions for it ever since.
“I'd have friends, teachers asking me what it is. Being a kid with that, it was tough to tell people,” he recalls. “So I tried to hide it. I would wear long sleeves if it was on my arms and I tried to cover it up on and off the field.”
“Being in a locker room is tough when you have the flakes and people are asking you, ‘What's on your skin? Is it contagious?’ Different things like that,” he adds. “It was embarrassing.”
Goedert explains that his psoriasis flare ups would irritate him and cause distractions on the field when he got too itchy. He tried a number of topical treatments over the years, but they didn’t work with his lifestyle as a football player, sweating often and being in hot and cold tubs.
Dallas Goedert/Amgen
Dallas Goedert of Philadelphia EaglesThe PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
After more than 20 years struggling with plaque psoriasis, Goedert has now partnered with Amgen, finally landing on a treatment — a pill, Otezla — that works for his lifestyle over the past few months.
“It has been a complete game changer for me. Finding that has just made my life a little bit easier and I'm thankful for that,” he says, encouraging others going through similar situations not to lose hope in finding a solution with their doctors.
“I’ve tried to embrace it the older I got,” he adds of the skin disease. “Make sure I just tell people what it is and use my platform to kind of be a voice for plaque psoriasis.”
Now, rather than struggling with his flare ups, the NFL star is rightfully focused on celebrating his Super Bowl win.
“After the game, the Eagles hosted a great after party for family and friends and all sorts of people were able to come out. Shane Gillis was back there partying with us, so that was really cool. We enjoyed it,” Goedert tells PEOPLE, sharing his excitement for the team’s victory parade in their home city on Feb. 14.
“It seems like it's going to be a week-long celebration,” Goedert says.
Read the original article on People