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Three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck made sure to avoid defenders when throwing passes in his 18-year NFL career, but now he’s making sure he keeps his cholesterol down in his post-playing days.
Hasselbeck’s father, Don Hasselbeck, died suddenly at age 70 of cardiac arrest. After his death, Hasselbeck’s mother encouraged him to get screened, and he was humbled by his results.
“It was really my mom who said, you know, there’s three boys in our family and said, ‘Boys, I want you to get screened for everything, you know, calcium score in your heart, blood pressure, LDL cholesterol,'” Hasselbeck told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview with the Family Heart Foundation.
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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 we like to be honest, we kind of rolled our eyes at cholesterol because I thought, ‘Oh, that’s for people who are out of shape, the people that I’m crushing on Peloton’.”
“I was really humbled when my results came back. A lot of my other scores were amazing, amazing, and the cholesterol thing was too high, and I was shocked to be honest, and I can’t take credit for taking ownership. I was just trying to honor my mom during a tough time for her, and through the process, it probably accidentally helped me open up to my kids quite a bit.”
Hasselbeck has partnered with the Family Heart Foundation for their “Tackle Cholesterol: Get into 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.
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(Left) Matt Hasselbeck, (center) Don Hasselbeck and (right) Tim Hasselbeck all pose for a photo. (Courtesy of Matt Hasselbeck)
“When you’re a football player, a lot of the injuries you have can be seen. It’s a shoulder, it’s a knee, it’s a high ankle sprain. It’s like orthopedic. With things like LDL cholesterol, it’s invisible. And you can exercise all you want or eat as well as you want, but if you need it, you’re safe or not. 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, encourages families and fans to get screened. Hasselbeck hopes people will visit CholesterolConnect.org for more information or to order a free, one-time at-home cholesterol screening.
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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 everybody that getting screened is the easiest thing ever. Get screened, find out what your numbers are, find out what those numbers mean, and then you’ll know how to lower 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.
