Chris Johnson arrived in Tempe after building a reputation as a speedy running back in the NFL. He then played his final three seasons in the league with the Cardinals.
On Monday, he was a guest on “Good Morning America” on ABC and announced that he has been diagnosed with ALS.
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Show host Michael Strahan, who is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, performed the interview to discuss the disease and what Johnson should expect from this point on.
Amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is usually found in people between the ages of 40 and 70. Johnson is 40 years old. It can happen to someone who never expected to contract the disease.
ALS is a motor neuron disease. As these nerve cells deteriorate and die, the brain can no longer send signals to the muscles. This causes muscles to weaken, twitch, and eventually waste away. It happens randomly with no known family history or clear genetic cause. One of the symptoms is slurred speech or difficulty getting any type of volume out.
There are medications that are FDA approved, such as Edaravone, Riluzole, and Tofersen, but the disease does not have a known cure. These drugs are designed to slow the progression of the disease, which is known to be aggressive. Eventually, people are no longer able to walk and talk.
Johnson played three seasons with the Cardinals from 2015 to 2017.
With Arizona, he played in 19 games with 12 starts, with 266 carries for 1,023 yards and scored four touchdowns. He also had 11 catches for 101 yards.
Johnson was the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans after a stellar football and track career at East Carolina. He signed a five-year, $12 million contract with $7 million guaranteed.
In his second season, he rushed for 2,006 yards, had 80 first-down conversions, and scored 14 TDs. In 2011, he held out and eventually signed a four-year, $53.5 million contract extension that would run to the 2016 season. The total yardage in 2009 ranks seventh all-time in NFL history.
After six seasons with the Titans, he signed a three-year deal with the New York Jets during free agency for $9 million. After a career-low 663 yards and one touchdown, the Jets declined his second year.
The Cardinals inked him to a one-year deal worth $2.56 million. For half the 2015 season, Johnson was listed in the Top-3 running backs. In Week 12, he suffered a fractured tibia, but was voted as a Pro Bowl alternate.
In his final two seasons, he signed one-year deals and competed with David Johnson in Arizona’s RB room.
For his career, Johnson was named “NFL Offensive Player of the Year” (2009), First Team All-Pro once, three Pro Bowl nods, NFL Rushing Yards Leader (2009), and named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.
He left the game with 9,651 rushing yards, 64 total touchdowns, and six seasons eclipsing the 1,000-yard rushing plateau.
