Former NFL Star Chris Johnson Shares His ALS Diagnosis and Inspiring Fight

Former Tennessee Titans star Chris Johnson, who won NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2009 while earning first-team All-Pro honors, revealed Monday he has been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

"There's no history of ALS in my family," Johnson, 39, told NFL legend Michael Strahan on ABC's Good Morning America. "My doctors believe my case is what's called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen."

"That's one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who never expected it," he added.

'I don't know if you ever fully process it'

ALS is a rare, progressive and terminal neurodegenerative disease that targets motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. As the disease progresses, patients lose their ability to control their voluntary muscles, leading to an inability to speak and perform daily tasks, and eventually, paralysis and death.

For Johnson, the signs something was wrong started innocently enough last year.

"I first noticed weakness in my right hand," he told Strahan. "At first, it was little things like my grip didn't feel right and I wasn't as strong as I've always been."

Johnson says the doctor that diagnosed him advised the father of four and his wife to "get our affairs in order" and that perhaps medication could extend his life by a few months.

"Honestly, I don't know if you ever fully process it," he said of being diagnosed. "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."

Johnson inspired by a fellow ALS fighter

After seeing actor Eric Dane, who passed away of ALS in February, on Good Morning America last year with his doctor at the time, Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, Johnson said he was inspired to reach out to the Boston-based neurologist.

"She was willing to think more creatively, offering experimental treatments that might help and advance research," he said. "We've been with her ever since, and that changed the course of our fight."

'I'm still me'

A three-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL in rushing yards in 2009, Johnson was a speedy, dynamic force during his 10 years in the league with the Titans, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals.

While ALS has already robbed him of his ability to speak--he uses a speech-generating device equipped with a recording of his own voice--and prevents him from completing routine physical tasks, Johnson says it hasn't robbed him of his spirit and humanity.

"I want people to know that I'm still me. ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn't changed who I am," he explained. "People sometimes look at the physical disability and assume you're not still the same person inside. I still think the same. I still dream. I still love my family. My body just doesn't cooperate."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the Sports section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 9:00 AM.