What This Story Is About
Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk, general manager Mike Borgonzi, president and CEO Burke Nihill and head coach Robert Saleh participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in support of former running back Chris Johnson, who revealed his ALS diagnosis in June.
Why It Matters
The NFL world is very familiar with the terminal disease, although it was made famous by a baseball player. ALS has long been a concern for football teams and players at the highest level.
What Happens Next
The Titans invited every NFL team to also participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge, and asked fans and teams to join them in supporting ALS research by donating at TennesseeTitans.com/CJ2k.
For Context
A worldwide push to find a cure for ALS exploded in the summer of 2014, when three former NFL players started the Ice Bucket Challenge video campaign. It raised over $220 million globally, significantly boosting research and support initiatives for ALS.
Catch Up
Chris Johnson, legendary Titans RB and member of 2,000-yard season club, reveals ALS diagnosis
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – The Tennessee Titans’ leadership showed their support for former running back Chris Johnson by answering his call to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge on Tuesday.
Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk, board of directors co-chairman Kenneth Adams IV, general manager Mike Borgonzi, president and CEO Burke Nihill, and head coach Robert Saleh, along with other executives and staff, were doused with freezing-cold water before Tuesday’s opening day of training camp to support Johnson.
Johnson, the former star running back who started his career by playing six seasons for the Titans, sat down with NFL Hall of Famer and ABC host Michael Strahan to reveal his ongoing battle with ALS. The taped interview aired during Good Morning America(GMA) on June 29.
Before the ice water dropped, Saleh called on every NFL team, as well as teams “across the entire football world,” to also participate in the challenge and to donate to the research.
What is ALS?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes called Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a rapidly progressing neurological (nervous system) disease that progressively shuts down the body, according to the ALS Association.
ALS attacks nerve cells that control voluntary muscles, and when these cells die, voluntary muscle control and movement are lost, which leads to progressive weakness and disability.
People living with ALS eventually lose their strength, ability to move their arms, legs, and body, and the ability to breathe on their own. In most cases, their minds remain sharp and alert.
Although ALS progresses differently for each patient, the average life expectancy for people with ALS is 2 to 5 years, according to the ALS Association.
In Johnson’s case, he appears to be going through “sporadic ALS,” which is the most common form of the disease. During his interview, Johnson was forced to talk through a speech-generating device that creates audible words from his eye movements.
ALS and the NFL
Johnson’s ALS announcement is a familiar one in the NFL world.
Although the terminal disease was made famous by a baseball player, it has long been a concern of football teams and players at the highest level. Beloved New Orleans Saint Steve Gleason became the face of the debilitating disease when NFL fans watched as the athletic safety was forced into life in a wheelchair.
A worldwide push to find a cure for ALS exploded in the summer of 2014, when Pete Frates, Pat Quinn, and Anthony Senerchia started the Ice Bucket Challenge video campaign. Gleason was also a part of this drive, which raised over $220 million globally, significantly boosting research and support initiatives for ALS.
Johnson’s legendary NFL career
The Titans drafted Johnson in the first round (24th overall) in 2008, after which he quickly became one of the most dynamic players in the National Football League.
Johnson ran for 9,651 yards during his 10 seasons in the NFL, and 7,965 of those came while wearing a Titans jersey.
In 2009, just his second season in the NFL, Johnson joined the exclusive 2,000-yard club when he ran for 2,006 yards and averaged more than 125 yards per game.
At the time, only five players had accomplished the feat. The elite group has grown since to just nine players, after Saquon Barkley ran for 2,005 yards for the Philadelphia Eagles.
As a Titan, Johnson earned three Pro Bowl selections and was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2009. His 7,965 rushing yards are the fourth-most in franchise history, and his 58 touchdowns also come in at fourth in franchise annals.
He went on to play four more seasons after leaving Nashville, rounding out his career with the Jets and Arizona Cardinals.
On September 13, the Titans will induct star running back Chris Johnson into the team’s Ring of Honor. With the Jets in town, Johnson will have the opportunity to revisit two of his former teams on the same day.
The game kicks off at noon, and the ceremony for Johnson will be held during halftime.
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