Former ECU running back Chris Johnson announces he has ALS

by | Jun 29, 2026

Former ECU Football great, NFL star and three-time Pro Bowl running back Chris Johnson revealed he has been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Johnson said in an interview with “Good Morning America” co-anchor Michael Strahan that he was diagnosed with the disease last year, at age 39.
“There’s no history of ALS in my family,” Johnson said in the interview that aired Monday on “GMA.” “My doctors believe my case is what’s called sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen.”
He continued, “That’s one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who never expected it.”

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