Chris Johnson was once one of the fastest men in football, but the former Tennessee Titans star is now facing a heartbreaking battle far bigger than anything he ever saw on the field.
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
The former NFL running back, best known to fans as “CJ2K,” revealed Monday that he has been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Johnson shared the news during an emotional interview with Michael Strahan on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” where he explained that doctors diagnosed him last year, when he was 39.
“There’s no history of ALS in my family,” Johnson said. “My doctors believe my case is what’s called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen.”
He continued, “That’s one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who never expected it.”
According to ABC News, Johnson first noticed something was wrong when weakness developed in his right hand. At first, the former athlete said his grip simply did not feel the same. His wife, Brittany Johnson, initially thought it could have been connected to years of punishment from football. “I thought because of football and, you know, his career, that it had to be something with that,” she told Strahan. “Maybe … a pinched nerve or something along those lines, but never ALS.”
The disease has moved quickly. Johnson now uses his eyes to operate a speech-generating device, according to the Titans. “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.”
ALS is a progressive neurological disorder that affects motor neurons, the nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement and breathing, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. As the disease progresses, people can lose the ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe on their own. There is currently no known treatment that stops or reverses ALS, though some medications may slow decline or help manage symptoms.
Johnson’s diagnosis has hit especially hard because of the legacy he built in the league. A first-round pick by the Titans in the 2008 NFL Draft, Johnson played 10 NFL seasons with the Titans, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. Per the Titans, he finished his career with 9,651 rushing yards, 55 rushing touchdowns, 2,255 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
His most iconic season came in 2009, when he rushed for 2,006 yards, became just the sixth player in NFL history at the time to cross the 2,000-yard rushing mark, and set an NFL single-season record with 2,509 yards from scrimmage. That monster season earned him AP Offensive Player of the Year honors and cemented his “CJ2K” nickname forever.
The Titans quickly rallied around him after the announcement. “Some people leave a mark on an organization that you just can’t put into words,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said. “Chris Johnson is one of those people for us. 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.”
“Learning this news is extremely difficult, and we will support Chris every step of the way throughout his journey,” Strunk added. “We are holding him and his family close, and join our fans around the world in expressing our love for Chris.”
Johnson’s diagnosis also brings renewed attention to the difficult history between football and ALS. A 2021 JAMA Network Open study of 19,423 NFL athletes who debuted between 1960 and 2019 found that ALS incidence and mortality among NFL players were nearly four times higher than the general U.S. male population after adjusting for age and race. The study also found that players diagnosed with ALS had longer NFL careers on average than those without the disease.
Johnson is not the only former NFL player to publicly battle the disease. Former Titans linebacker Tim Shaw was diagnosed with ALS in 2014, according to the Titans. Other former NFL players who have been diagnosed include Steve Gleason, Dwight Clark, O.J. Brigance, Tim Green and Kevin Turner, per NBC Sports.
Despite the devastating diagnosis, Johnson made it clear he is not giving 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.”
Johnson said his wife and children continue to push him forward. “She hasn’t left my side through any of this,” he said of Brittany. “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.”
Now, the same man who once ran past defenders like they were standing still is using his platform for something even bigger: awareness, research and hope.
“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,” Johnson said. “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.”
