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By Mallory Mattingly
Former NFL running back Chris Johnson, 39, revealed that he was diagnosed with Sporadic ALS and now uses a computer to speak.
According to the ALS Association, Sporadic ALS is the “most common form of the disease, affecting approximately 90% to 95% of people living with ALS. Individuals with sporadic ALS are the first people in their families known to have the disease. For the majority of people with sporadic ALS, lifestyle, environmental or other risk factors may have contributed to the development of the disease. However, about 10% of people with sporadic ALS have a mutation in a gene that has been linked to ALS.”
In a recent interview with GOOD MORNING AMERICA’s Michael Strahan, Johnson wanted the world to know that “I’m still me.”
“ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am,” he declared.
In 2009, in just his second season in the NFL, Johnson ran for over 2,000 yards with the Tennessee Titans. He also appeared in three back-to-back-to-back Pro Bowls and was “named the 2009 Offensive Player of the Year and made the Pro Bowl in 2009 thanks to his statistical prowess that season,” according to Fox News Digital.
Johnson wasn’t diagnosed with ALS until 2025 but soon began to feel the repercussions of his diagnosis.
“At first it was little things like my grip didn’t feel right, and I wasn’t as strong as I’d always been,” Johnson shared.
Johnson’s wife, Brittany, initially thought his symptoms were because of the stress his body endured in the NFL.
“I thought because of football and his career that it has to be something with that,” she told PEOPLE. “Maybe a pinched nerve or something along those lines, but never ALS.”
After Johnson underwent multiple tests, he and Brittany received the news they feared most.
“We hoped it was something else, but after the third testing, they finally came down with a diagnosis of ALS,” the former running back 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 admitted.
Johnson is currently working with the same doctor who worked with GREY’S ANATOMY actor Eric Dane. Dr. Merritt Cudkowicz, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute, suggested that he join a clinical trial to help reduce inflammation in his joints.
“Chris has been on standard of care, which is about three different medications a month to slow down the illness,” Cudkowicz revealed. “But he was also part of a clinical trial of therapy that decreases inflammation. And I think that helped him a lot.”
Despite the sudden and devastating transition from an elite NFL career to a battle with Sporadic ALS, Johnson remains resiliently focused on clinical treatments and preserving his true self.
Read Next: John Driskell Hopkins ‘Wakes Up Every Day Grateful’ Amid ALS Battle
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