Key Takeaways
- Former Titans star Chris Johnson says ALS has taken his voice and mobility, but “I’m still a husband and a dad” who wants a say in his care.
- Diagnosed in May 2025, the 41-year-old now uses an eye-operated speech device, electric wheelchair, and breathing support while his wife Brittany and relatives provide daily care.
- The former NFL Offensive Player of the Year hopes to see his sons grow up and walk his daughter down the aisle, saying he will “keep fighting to be here for my family.”
Chris Johnson once made his name by outrunning nearly everyone in the NFL. Now the former Tennessee Titans running back uses his eyes to operate a speech device and relies on family members for daily care.
In a new interview with People, Johnson describes how ALS has changed life for him, his wife Brittany, and their four children. “I’m still a husband and a dad,” he says. “ALS doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed—it affects the whole family.”
Johnson, 41, received his diagnosis in May 2025 after developing weakness in his right hand and a persistent cough. His condition has since progressed to the point that he uses an electric wheelchair, needs breathing support, and can no longer speak without the device.
Brittany has also become his primary caregiver, with help from relatives including Johnson’s cousin Tamika Bridges. Their twin sons, CJ and Kaden, also step in when he needs help stretching his legs.
Johnson says one of the hardest parts is “having your mind still completely there” while losing physical abilities he once took for granted.
For football fans, that change is especially stark. Nicknamed “CJ2K,” Johnson rushed for 2,006 yards in the Titans’ 2009 season, earning NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors. He spent 10 seasons in the league before retiring in 2018.
The Titans planned to induct him into their Ring of Honor this month, but postponed the ceremony when his illness prevented him and his family from traveling to Nashville.
At home outside Orlando, the immediate concern is less about his place in team history than how to stay involved in his children’s lives.
“I still hear everything. I understand everything,” Johnson tells People. He says he still jokes, makes decisions, and wants to be included in conversations about his own care.
Brittany describes that care as nonstop, but says she wants to be the person providing it.
Johnson also addresses a question his football career inevitably raises: His doctors have not told him the sport caused his ALS, and they have not identified a specific cause. He supports his twin sons playing football, but wants them to understand its risks.
ALS, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease, progressively damages the nerve cells that control voluntary movement. It can affect a person’s ability to move, speak, eat, and breathe, and there is currently no cure.
Johnson’s account arrives amid other public conversations about the disease. 90 Day Fiancé star Jenny Slatten, who disclosed her diagnosis this year, recently said she is struggling to speak.
Grey’s Anatomy actor Eric Dane died in February after going public with his ALS diagnosis in 2025.
For Johnson, the goal he describes is direct: more time with Brittany and the children. He wants to see his sons grow up and someday walk his daughter down the aisle.
“Until then,” he says of a hoped-for breakthrough, “I’m going to keep fighting to be here for my family.”
