Chris Johnson has visited nearly every major ALS clinic in the country and noted the reactions from neurologists once they learned about his football background.
He’s the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season and recently read a study revealing that former NFL players have a nearly fourfold higher likelihood of developing and succumbing to ALS compared to other men.
“I can’t help but think if there’s any connection between my career and my current situation,” Johnson shared in a letter to his four children published on Thursday.
Despite the challenges, including a decline from noticing weakness in his right hand last year to needing a speech-generating device this year, Johnson expressed gratitude for his NFL experience.
“I wouldn’t change anything about that journey. Football provided me a platform, and now I’m in a position to use it in ways I never anticipated,” he said, as he prepares to be inducted into the Tennessee Titans’ Ring of Honor during halftime of their season opener against the New York Jets.
Coaching his sons in football has brought him immense joy, and he considers it one of his greatest blessings to see them share a love for the sport that meant so much to him growing up in Orlando, Florida.
“What I want to convey to you all is that your football journey is uniquely yours. Be bold, be yourselves, and don’t let anyone impede your dreams,” Johnson wrote.
He acknowledged, “The game is much safer now than in my playing days, and I hope it continues to improve.”
On June 29, he revealed his ALS diagnosis on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” which he had received a year prior.
In his letter, Johnson reflected on the difficulty of deciding to share his diagnosis, feeling a sense of shame over his body’s decline.
Breaking the news to his children was particularly challenging, as he aimed to be honest while still providing them with hope.
ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It’s a neurodegenerative disorder that impedes communication between nerve cells and muscles throughout the body, leading to muscle weakness and potentially compromising the ability to move, speak, and breathe.
Seeing friends and former teammates participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has left Johnson wishing he had shared his story earlier to help draw attention and funding to the disease.
“But I’m not sure it would have had the same impact,” he mused. “People wouldn’t fully grasp what this disease is capable of and how rapidly it can progress.”
A first-round draft pick from East Carolina in 2008, Johnson amassed 7,965 rushing yards during his six seasons with the Titans, famously rushing for 2,006 yards in 2009, which earned him the nickname “CJ2K.”
