NFL Legend Reveals Heartbreaking Diagnosis

Former Tennessee Titans running back great Chris Johnson revealed he has been diagnosed with ALS in an exclusive interview that aired Monday morning.

Johnson, 40, told Good Morning America that he learned of his diagnosis in 2025 when he initially felt a weakness in his right hand. He and his wife both wrote it off as a pinched nerve from his decade-long NFL career.

NFL Hall of Famer and co-host of Good Morning America, Michael Strahan, sat down with Johnson and his wife, Brittany, as Johnson shared his story.

FULL INTERVIEW: Former NFL running back Chris Johnson reveals his ALS diagnosis at 39. pic.twitter.com/5Pb8YAQ5x0

— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 29, 2026

“There’s no history of ALS in my family,” Johnson said on the show through a speech-generating device that tracks his eye movements across a keyboard. “That’s one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who never expected it.”

When the doctors initially informed him of his condition, Johnson was told that he could be given medication that would only extend his life by a few months. He and his wife were told to get their affairs in order. “Honestly, I don’t know if you ever fully process it. At first, you’re in shock,” Johnson stated in his interview. “Then you realize you have two choices. You can give up, or you can fight. I chose to fight.”

After watching Eric Dane announce his diagnosis on the same network with Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, the former running back reached out to the doctor for experimental treatments. There still is no cure for ALS, and Eric Dane died in February this year.

Johnson and his family continue to fight as his condition worsens every day, he explained in the interview.

Johnson is one of nine players in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. He did so in 2009, earning him the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award and the famous nickname “CJ2K.” He had 2,509 total yards in the 2009 campaign, the record for most scrimmage yards in a single season to this day. 

He is widely regarded as one of the fastest players in NFL history. He ran a 4.24 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in 2008, a record he held for nine years. In his six years with Tennessee, Johnson never had fewer than 1,000 rushing yards in a season. He also spent time with the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals before retiring in 2017.

Johnson wanted to publicly share his diagnosis to show he is the same CJ2K and help others who may face the incurable disease.

“I want people to know I am still me. ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am,” Johnson said. “If sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research, or gives another family hope, then it’s worth it.”