NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck made sure to avoid defenders when throwing passes in his 18-year NFL career, but now he makes sure to keep his cholesterol low in his post-game days.
Hasselbeck’s father, Don Hasselbeck, died suddenly at age 70 due to cardiac arrest. After her death, Hasselbeck’s mother urged him to get tested and he was humbled by the results.
“It was actually my mom who told them, you know, there are three kids in our family, and she said, ‘Guys, I want you to get screened for everything, you know, your heart calcium score, your blood pressure, your LDL cholesterol,'” Hasselbeck told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview with the Family Heart Foundation.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (8) throws a pass in the second quarter against the Chicago Bears in the 2011 NFC Divisional Playoff game at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on January 16, 2011. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
“And to be honest, we like to roll our eyes at the cholesterol, because I thought, ‘Oh, that’s for the people who aren’t in shape, the people I like in the Peloton.'”
“I was really honored when my scores came back. A lot of my other scores were great, fantastic, and the cholesterol thing was way too high, and to be honest, I was surprised and I can’t take credit for it. I was just trying to honor my mom in a difficult time for her and in the process, I probably accidentally helped myself quite a bit and it probably helped my kids. It was eye-opening.”
Hasselbeck has partnered with the Family Heart Foundation for its “Tackling Cholesterol: Entering the LDL Safe Zone” campaign. As a soccer player, Hasselbeck said he always knew if he was injured, but with cholesterol the threat is invisible.
RAMS STAR PUKA NACUA MATCHES SYDNEY SWEENEY WITH CLEVER SOCIAL MEDIA POST
(Left) Matt Hasselbeck, (center) Don Hasselbeck and (right) Tim Hasselbeck pose for a photo. (Courtesy of Matt Hasselbeck)
“When you’re a football player, a lot of the injuries you have, you can see them. It’s a shoulder, it’s a knee, it’s a sprained ankle. It’s like a brace. With things like LDL cholesterol, it’s invisible. And you can exercise as much as you want or eat as well as you want, but if you’re not in that safe zone where you need to control your cholesterol, it can lead to all kinds of different problems, and cardiac arrest is one of them,” Hasselbeck said.
Hasselbeck, who has a family history of cardiovascular disease, urges families and fans to get screened. Hasselbeck hopes people will visit CholesterolConnect.org to learn more or request a free, one-time at-home cholesterol test.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
Former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck greets fans before the NFC championship game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, on January 25, 2026. (Jane Gershovich/Getty Images)
“I’m really passionate about trying to tell everyone that getting tested is the easiest thing ever. Get tested, find out what your numbers are, find out what those numbers mean and then you’ll know how to reduce your risk,” Hasselbeck said.
Hasselbeck played for four different teams in his 18-year career: 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, three with the Indianapolis Colts, two with the Green Bay Packers and two with the Tennessee Titans. In 209 games, he completed 60.5% of his passes for 36,638 yards with 212 touchdowns and 153 interceptions.
