Chris Johnson opens up about his heartbreaking ALS journey as former NFL star fights for more time with his wife and children
He became one of the most explosive players of his generation, rushing for 2,006 yards in 2009 and finishing that season with an NFL-record 2,509 yards from scrimmage. What began with an unusual feeling in his right hand in early 2025 has since progressed at a devastating pace, changing nearly every part of Johnson’s daily life. Now, at 40, Johnson is sharing more of his story, opening up about the first signs of the disease, his diagnosis, his family’s struggle, his questions about whether football could have played a role, and his determination to spend as much time as possible with his wife and four children. Johnson has now revealed that the first noticeable symptoms appeared in early 2025. During spring break in March 2025, Johnson picked up his water bottle and told Brittany that it suddenly felt heavy.
Johnson said his grip simply did not feel right and that he wasn’t as strong as he had always been. Former NFL running back Chris Johnson has spent much of his life being defined by speed. But years after walking away from football, Johnson found himself facing a challenge no amount of athleticism could prepare him for: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS. He was working out regularly and spending time with his wife, Brittany, and their four children when he began experiencing weakness in his right hand. At first, he did not think much of it. His wife initially thought the problem might be connected to the years he had spent playing football. A pinched nerve or an old football-related issue seemed more plausible than something as serious as ALS. Then came a moment during a family road trip that made Johnson realize the problem could be more significant. The bottle itself hadn’t changed. His ability to hold it had. Johnson later explained that his right hand had already felt strained for several weeks, but the water bottle incident convinced him that he needed to find out what was happening.
Johnson was eventually diagnosed with sporadic ALS in 2025, at age 39 . By the time he publicly revealed his diagnosis in June 2026, his physical abilities had changed dramatically. By September 2026, Brittany had become Johnson’s primary caregiver. The same idea became even more prominent in his September 2026 letter to his children. The Titans had planned to induct him into the team’s Ring of Honor on September 13, 2026. As of September 2026, Johnson’s ALS has progressed to the point where he cannot speak normally and relies on an eye-controlled device to communicate. Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news , check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule .
Because of his condition, so the ceremony was postponed, but Johnson and his family were unable to travel to Nashville. When he first announced his diagnosis, Johnson explained that research and the work being done by doctors gave him hope.
Instead, Johnson was given paperwork that referred to “Possible Anterior Horn Cell Disease” and was told to see another doctor because the results could be serious. Doctors told him there was no known family history of ALS in his case. “I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body,” Johnson said. She said the family initially hoped doctors were wrong and that the symptoms could be explained by something else. Recent reporting says she has been helping him with everyday tasks, including feeding, changing, and stretching, while Johnson also relies on breathing support from a CPAP machine. “I want people to know that I’m still me,” Johnson said. Writing for The Players’ Tribune , Johnson told his children that almost every part of his life had changed, but that he remained their father, Brittany’s husband and the same person they had always known. He said his value was not determined by what his body could physically do. When he first received the diagnosis, Brittany said one of her immediate thoughts was about how young their children were. Johnson has repeatedly said that his children give him a reason to continue fighting. He has been to numerous neurologists and major ALS clinics since his diagnosis and said he noticed that doctors sometimes reacted differently after learning that he had played professional football.
Johnson contacted a former Titans team doctor, who helped him get a nerve-conduction study in Nashville. The test did not immediately give him a diagnosis. It was only later, while sitting at the airport and talking to Brittany, that Johnson and his wife began researching what the terminology meant. One of the diseases associated with that category was ALS. That was the moment the possibility became real for the family. The most striking part of Johnson’s story has been the speed at which his condition progressed. When he first noticed the weakness, he was still living an active life and spending time with his children. Johnson appeared on Good Morning America with Michael Strahan and communicated through a speech-generating device controlled with his eyes. His voice had been recorded after his diagnosis, allowing the device to reproduce it as he typed using eye movements. Johnson explained that the disease had progressed much faster than he ever imagined. By the time of the interview, he could no longer do that. Johnson has repeatedly emphasized that he has not gone through the disease alone.His wife, Brittany, has remained by his side throughout the diagnosis and progression of his illness. In his initial public interview, Brittany described how difficult it was to watch her husband’s life change so quickly. Instead, the family had to adjust to an entirely different reality. For Brittany, the disease has affected the entire family, not only the person diagnosed. Johnson has echoed that sentiment, saying ALS has changed life for everyone around him. One of the central messages Johnson has tried to communicate throughout his ALS journey is that the disease has not changed his identity. During his Good Morning America appearance, he made it clear that while ALS had taken away many of his physical abilities, his thoughts, emotions and love for his family remained. “ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am. For Johnson, his four children are at the heart of his fight. He wants more time with them. He wants to watch them grow up, make memories with them, and simply continue being their father. In his September letter, Johnson reflected on the future he hopes to see with his children, including watching them reach major milestones in their lives. That desire has become one of the defining themes of Johnson’s ALS journey. Johnson has also begun asking a difficult question: Could his NFL career have contributed to his ALS? Johnson referenced research indicating that former NFL players were nearly four times as likely to develop and die from ALS as the overall U.S. male population. But Johnson has been careful not to claim that football caused his illness. He acknowledged that he is not a medical expert, that the research represents only one study, and that other environmental factors could be involved. His position is essentially that he cannot help wondering whether there could be a connection between his football career and his diagnosis. That distinction is important: Johnson has raised the question, not established a cause. Johnson has also chosen to fight the disease through available medical research. He has participated in experimental treatments and a clinical trial, saying that he hopes the efforts can extend his life while also contributing to greater understanding of ALS. His family has also helped support fundraising and awareness efforts connected to ALS research. Johnson’s health battle has even affected one of the biggest honors of his football career. The Titans instead held a halftime celebration recognizing Johnson and his career. The moment offered a striking contrast. The former running back who once electrified Nashville with his speed could no longer make the trip to receive the honor in person. He requires significant assistance from his family for daily activities and uses CPAP support for breathing. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines His wife Brittany remains his primary caregiver, while their children continue to be a central source of motivation. Yet Johnson continues to communicate publicly and tell his story. In his September letter to his children, he reflected on the enormous changes ALS has brought to his life while emphasizing that the disease cannot define the entirety of who he is. His football career made him famous for his speed. His ALS journey has forced him to confront what happens when his body can no longer move the way it once did. But Johnson’s message has remained remarkably consistent: he is still Chris Johnson, still a husband, still a father and still fighting for more time with the people he loves. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
He recalled that only a little more than a year earlier, he had been able to pick up his young daughter and help her make a wish over her birthday cake. He also wanted his story to encourage earlier diagnosis and greater investment in ALS research.