Chris Johnson Reveals 2025 ALS Diagnosis, Using Eye-Controlled Device at 40
Updated
Updated · WBTV · Jun 29
Chris Johnson Reveals 2025 ALS Diagnosis, Using Eye-Controlled Device at 40
3 articles · Updated · WBTV · Jun 29
Summary
Chris Johnson said he was diagnosed with ALS in 2025 and now communicates through an eye-controlled device because he can no longer speak.
The 40-year-old former NFL running back disclosed the incurable neurological disease in a Good Morning America interview with Michael Strahan after noticing weakness that progressed rapidly.
ALS attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing worsening muscle weakness and eventually affecting movement, speech, eating and breathing; patients typically live 3 to 5 years after diagnosis.
Johnson last played in 2017 after a standout career that included six straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, a 2,000-yard 2009 season and the NFL's only 2,500-yard rushing-receiving campaign.