Ex-NFL running back says he ‘chose to fight’ after his ALS diagnosis
Former Titan Chris Johnson now hopes to spread awareness, urges early testing
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- Former Tennessee Titans football player Chris Johnson is sharing his diagnosis with ALS at age 39.
- The ex-NFL player says he hopes to raise awareness and encourage testing for the rare disease.
- Johnson now relies on an eye-controlled speech-generating device to communicate after the disease took away his ability to speak.
Former NFL running back Chris Johnson, whose historic 2,000 rushing yards in a season earned him the nickname CJ2K, has revealed that he is living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), saying he hopes sharing his story will encourage earlier diagnoses, inspire more research, and give hope to others facing the progressive disease.
Johnson, 40, spent 10 seasons in the National Football League, including six with the Tennessee Titans, and remains one of only nine players in league history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season. He accomplished that feat in 2009, when he ran for 2,006 yards in just his second NFL season.
Now, in an interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Johnson publicly shared that he was diagnosed with ALS last year, at age 39. He now uses an eye-controlled speech-generating device to communicate after the disease took away his ability to speak. The device uses recordings of Johnson’s voice, gathered soon after his diagnosis, to generate speech that sounds like him.
“Honestly, I don’t know if you really fully process it,” Johnson said in the interview, according to a news story from AP News. “At first you’re in shock. Then you realize you have two choices: You can give up or you can fight. I chose to fight.”
A rare neurodegenerative disease, ALS is caused by damage to the specialized nerve cells controlling voluntary muscle movement, which leads to worsening muscle weakness. As the disease progresses, it affects speaking, swallowing, movement, and breathing. While there is no cure, available ALS treatments may slow disease progression and help manage symptoms.
Football star admits he was blindsided by ALS diagnosis
Johnson said he first noticed something felt off after developing weakness in his right hand. But the ALS diagnosis was a “shock,” he said.
Before hearing the news from his doctor, Brittany Johnson, his wife, thought the weakness might simply be the result of years spent playing football. “Maybe … a pinched nerve or something along those lines,” she said.
Doctors have now determined that Johnson has sporadic ALS, the most common form of the disease, which occurs without a family history. Since the diagnosis, the disease has worsened far more quickly than Johnson expected.
“It’s continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined. I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body,” Johnson said. “Just over a year ago, I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter so she’d make a wish with her birthday cake. Today, I couldn’t do that.”
Johnson admits it’s been tough.
People sometimes look at a physical disability and assume you’re not still the same person inside. … I still think the same. I still dream. … My body just doesn’t cooperate.
But while he now relies on a speech-generating device to communicate, Johnson stressed that ALS has changed only his physical abilities — not his identity.
“Your mind stays sharp. People sometimes look at a physical disability and assume you’re not still the same person inside,” Johnson said. “I still think the same. I still dream. I still love my family. My body just doesn’t cooperate.”
By sharing his diagnosis publicly, Johnson is hoping to raise awareness of ALS and the urgent need for better treatments.
“I can’t even hold a cup if I try, and that’s despite being diagnosed relatively early and doing everything we can, including participating in multiple experimental treatments,” he said. “That’s why early detection, more research, and better treatments are so important. We have to give people a better chance than what’s available today.”
Johnson also hopes his story will encourage earlier diagnoses while giving hope to other families facing ALS.
“If sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research, or gives another family hope,” he said, “then it’s worth it.”
Johnson credits his wife, Brittany, and their four children with giving him the strength to keep fighting. His wife joined him during the interview and has become his primary caregiver.
“She hasn’t left my side through any of this,” Johnson said. “My kids are also a huge part of why I keep going. Every day I wake up wanting more time with them to make more memories and just be their dad. They give me a reason to keep fighting.”
Tennessee Titans promise full support for former player
In a statement shared on X, Tennessee Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk praised Johnson’s lasting impact on the franchise and pledged the organization’s support for him and his family.
“Some people leave a mark on an organization that you just can’t put into words. Chris Johnson is one of those people for us,” Adams Strunk said. “His leadership on the field, in addition to his impact in the locker room and Nashville community have written him permanently into the story of this franchise.”
Adams Strunk added: “Learning this news is extremely difficult, and we will support Chris every step of the way throughout his journey.”
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