Arizona Cardinals’ Zaven Collins addresses state of team
At 2-5, the Arizona Cardinals are trying to turn things around and get a much-needed win coming off their Week 8 bye in the 2025 season.
Former NFL star David Johnson is running the New York City Marathon to support the International Justice Mission.The International Justice Mission is a non-profit organization focused on ending human trafficking and modern slavery.
It was a decade ago now that David Johnson ascended to NFL stardom, becoming one of the league’s best running backs seemingly overnight.
The performances and numbers live on in the collective memory of an Arizona Cardinals fan base so often starved of those moments. The 229 scrimmage yards against the Eagles helped Arizona secure a first-round bye in 2015.
Johnson played a crucial role in that year’s run to the NFC championship game, and collected 2,118 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns in his follow-up act the next season.
Suddenly, the third-round pick from Northern Iowa was a national star, with the platform to go along with it.
That’s when Johnson began to think about how he wanted to use his status.
One realm immediately felt natural. David and his wife, Meghan, had long been passionate about improving the lives of children. In Arizona, they started a charity — the Johnson Family Mission 31 Foundation — geared toward helping children in need, particularly those with cancer.
Cardinals former star RB David Johnson finds the cause
One offseason, while still with the Cardinals, Johnson attended an annual conference put on by Pro Athletes Outreach, which helps connect players with charitable causes. That’s where he first heard about the International Justice Mission, a non-profit focused on ending human trafficking and modern slavery.
At the conference, IJM showed a video of a child who had been rescued from slavery and who, years later, was living a fruitful life. To Johnson, the message instantly resonated.
“We — my wife and I and most Americans — don’t deal with that stuff,” Johnson said. “And so when we saw that, just to see the child’s face and then how the child was so excited to be rescued … it was such a good message that we had to jump on board.”
Johnson’s work with IJM will reach a new stage Sunday, Nov. 2, when he runs the New York City Marathon in support of the organization, with its mission emblazoned on his chest.
It is, in a way, the culmination of the past half decade.
During his playing career, there was only so much time in the day. Johnson was traded to the Houston Texans, then signed by the New Orleans Saints. He had to find his footing in new cities, battle through injuries and work to extend his career. At the same time, he and Meghan started their family with three young kids. With limited time, their support of IJM was primarily financial.
But when Johnson officially retired in May 2024, he suddenly had time on his hands. And Mark Herzlich saw an opportunity.
Herzlich, a former Giants linebacker, runs IJM’s relations with pro athletes and other influencers. Since joining the organization in 2022, he’s seen the impact of those ambassadors on his trips abroad, where he helps combat trafficking by working with lawyers, social workers and police training programs in far-flung countries.
“Being able to let people know in Manila in the Philippines that, ‘Hey, there’s famous people, professional athletes in America, who care about you,’” Herzlich said. “… That’s where it really moves them.
“And so it moves the needle not just in terms of fundraising but in terms of allowing these kids who are trapped in crazy bad situations to know that someone out there cares.”
Foundation finds a major asset; $10k is Sunday goal
Knowing that impact, Herzlich saw potential with Johnson, who has remained dedicated to fitness after retirement. So this spring, Herzlich reached out to gauge Johnson’s interest in running the marathon on IJM’s behalf.
The benefit is multifaceted. Johnson is aiming to raise $10,000 to support the organization, but the awareness is just as important. Every few days, he posts a training update to his 164,000 Instagram followers, pushing out IJM’s message in the process.
And, because this is Johnson, he’s treating the marathon with the intensity of that NFC championship game a decade ago. In a recent half-marathon as part of his training, he ran at a 7:28 mile pace. His goal in the marathon is to finish somewhere in the 3:05 to 3:20 range, a time that would place him near the 90th percentile among male participants.
This, for someone who had never run longer than Pat’s Run, a 4.2-mile loop through Tempe.
“And that, at the time, felt like it was a doozy,” Johnson said, laughing.
In some ways, his NFL training has helped. “Being able to overcome soreness, tiredness, to try to finish the workout,” Johnson said.
But for the most part, this is entirely new. A great run in the NFL is 25 yards. A marathon, at 26.2 miles, is 46,112 yards.
“And that 25-yard run used to tire me out,” Johnson said. “I used to have to come take a break. But now, there’s no excuses. You’ve gotta get through it.”
As the race approaches, he’s started to feel those familiar game-day jitters. With three kids and trick-or-treating to prioritize, Johnson is staying at home for Halloween before flying to New York the day before the race. Then, it’ll be go time.
“I am just very excited,” Johnson said, grinning as he showed off his customized IJM running shirt. “I can’t wait to get to New York. I can’t wait to represent, wear this shirt out there and be able to run 26 miles so I can finish in a good time.”