Former NFL running back Chris Johnson has revealed that he is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), describing the diagnosis as life-changing while vowing to continue fighting the progressive disease.
The former Tennessee Titans star shared the heartbreaking news during an emotional interview on Good Morning America, where he spoke candidly about his health journey, the impact on his family, and why he decided to make his diagnosis public.
“I want people to know that I’m still me,” Johnson told host Michael Strahan. “ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am.”
Johnson, now 40, said he was diagnosed with ALS in 2025 at the age of 39 after first noticing weakness in his right hand. At the time, he was still exercising regularly and enjoying family life with his wife, Brittany, and their four children.
“At first it was little things like my grip didn’t feel right, and I wasn’t as strong as I’d always been,” he recalled.
His wife initially believed the symptoms were related to the physical toll of his NFL career.
“I thought because of football and his career that it has to be something with that,” Brittany said. “Maybe a pinched nerve or something along those lines, but never ALS.”
After undergoing several rounds of medical tests, doctors confirmed the diagnosis.
“We hoped it was something else, but after the third testing, they finally came down with a diagnosis of ALS,” Johnson said. “They told us about a medication that might extend life by a few months. Then they told us to get our affairs in order.”
“It was hard hearing that,” he added.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a progressive neurological disorder that destroys nerve cells responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. As the disease advances, patients gradually lose the ability to move, speak, swallow and eventually breathe.
Doctors said Johnson has sporadic ALS, the most common form of the disease, which occurs without any known family history and accounts for about 90 percent of all ALS cases.
“That’s one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking,” Johnson said. “It can happen to someone who never expected it.”
Neurologist Dr. Merritt Cudkowicz, who has been overseeing Johnson’s treatment, said the former athlete has received standard ALS medications and also participated in a clinical trial aimed at reducing inflammation.
“Chris has been on standardized care, which is about three different medications a month to slow down the illness,” Cudkowicz said. “But he was also part of a clinical trial of therapy that decreases inflammation. And I think that helped him a lot.”
Despite treatment, Johnson revealed the disease has progressed rapidly over the past year. He now relies on a speech-generating device controlled by eye movements after losing his ability to speak. Before that happened, doctors recorded his voice so the device could continue communicating in his own voice.
“It’s continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined,” he said. “I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body. Just over a year ago I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter so she could make a wish with her birthday cake. Today, I couldn’t do that.”
Even as his physical condition has deteriorated, Johnson emphasized that the disease has not changed who he is.
“My mind stays sharp,” he said. “People sometimes look at the physical disability and assume you’re not the same person. I still think the same. I still dream. I still love my family. My body just doesn’t cooperate.”
Johnson said that after the initial shock of the diagnosis, he made a conscious decision not to give up.
“Honestly, I don’t know if you ever fully process it,” he said. “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.”
He explained that he decided to publicly share his diagnosis in hopes of raising awareness about the disease and encouraging more research.
“If sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research or gives another family hope, then it’s worth it,” he said.
For Brittany, the diagnosis immediately shifted her thoughts to their young children.
“All I could think about was our kids and how young they are,” she said. “You’re in denial. You want it to be anything else. You want the doctors to be wrong.”
“The life that we previously had is now a thing of the past,” she added. “But we’re still hopeful. We’re hopeful that a breakthrough will happen or that God, a miracle will happen.”
Johnson credited his wife for standing by him throughout the difficult journey.
“She hasn’t left my side through any of this,” he said.
He also said his children continue to inspire him to keep fighting.
“My kids are also a huge part of why I keep going,” Johnson said. “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.”
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