On Monday, Chris Johnson, a former first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans and Pro Bowl running back, appeared on Good Morning America to reveal he has been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Johnson, 40, said he was officially diagnosed last year.

“There’s no history of ALS in my family,” Johnson told co-anchor Michael Strahan, using a speech-to-text device triggered by his eye movements. “My doctors believe my case is what’s called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen.”

FULL INTERVIEW: Former NFL running back Chris Johnson reveals his ALS diagnosis at 39. pic.twitter.com/5Pb8YAQ5x0

— Good Morning America (@GMA) June 29, 2026

The former NFL star who once rushed for over 2,000 yards in a season said the disease has progressed rapidly, and he hopes to help raise awareness and let people know he’s still the same person he was before ALS.

“It’s continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined. I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body,” he said. “Just over a year ago, I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter so she’d make a wish with her birthday cake. Today, I couldn’t do that.”

Noted sportswriter Jeff Pearlman watched the heartbreaking GMA interview and came away frustrated and angry with what he perceives as a lack of conversation in the media around the connection between football and ALS.

@jeffpearlmanauthor Former NFL star Chris Johnson has ALS. Media cowards refuse to address ties between the disease and football. Shame. #michaelstrahan #chrisjohnson #als #titans #football ♬ original sound – Jeff Pearlman

“We know by now through studies that there is a correlation between playing football and ALS. A much higher percentage of people who play football, specifically in the NFL, wind up with ALS than the general population. It is a known thing,” said Pearlman in a TikTok video. “The number of times Michael Strahan, a former football player, asks Chris Johnson about this? Zero. The number of times Good Morning America brings this up? Zero. It is so f*cking irresponsible and grotesque.

“Michael Strahan, who’s paid by the NFL, Michael Strahan who makes his money commenting on NFL games, doesn’t bring it up. He knows the tie between football and ALS. He He has seen fellow players suffer from ALS because they played football. And you are so f*cking soulless, and you are so corporately owned that you will not bring it up.”

Pearlman then pulls up ESPN’s article on Johnson and starts rattling off what was written in it.

“Okay, ESPN.com article headline: Former NFL running back Chris Johnson discusses ALS diagnosis. All right. Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk releases statement on Johnson’s diagnosis. Noting that the former running back’s leadership on the field, in addition to his impact in the locker room and Nashville community, have written him permanently into the story of this franchise. The Cardinals sent a social media post. They are sending strength, love, and support. The Jets and the NFL Players Association also released messages of support for Johnson.

“Then the article talks about ALS and what it is— Lou Gehrig’s disease. Not one f*cking mention of the ties between football and ALS And ESPN in bed with the NFL. It is so f*cking gross. ‘Johnson, who is taking part in a clinical trial as part of his treatment—’ why does he have ALS? Why don’t you interview someone who talks about the ties between NFL and ALS? How about one statistic, one single statistic about, um, studies done on football and the impact on ALS? It is so— it’s not just irresponsible, it’s grotesque. It is f*cking grotesque.”

Pearlman’s video was posted around 3:00 p.m. on Monday. The ESPN News Services article he was referring to does include a reference to the connection between playing pro football and ALS, though it’s unclear whether it was added later or he simply missed it.

“Tim Shaw, who had a six-year career as a linebacker in the NFL and was a teammate of Johnson’s with the Titans from 2010 to 2012, was diagnosed in 2014 at age 30 with ALS and is still alive.

“According to scientific research by Boston University’s CTE Center, the results of which were released in 2021, pro football players are four times more likely to develop and die from ALS than the adult male population. At the time, the center said it couldn’t determine exactly why the rate was higher for those athletes but suggested that repetitive head impacts and traumatic brain injuries might play a role.”

Pearlman added that he’s not asking for anyone to stop playing football, simply that he would like to see the precautions shown and shared regularly. And that he sees lost opportunities like this as a sign that certain people have financial incentives not to do so.

“Chris Johnson is dying and he showed up on Good Morning America to tell his story, and Michael Strahan, one of the great cowards on TV in my opinion, sits there and pretends, oh, this is heartbreaking, it’s so sad, I can’t believe this is happening to you, and doesn’t have the courage and the decency and the wherewithal to mention the ties between football and ALS,” said Pearlman. “And that’s because he’s getting paid a sh*tload of money not to. It’s f*cking disgusting.”