Former NFL star Chris Johnson appeared on Good Morning America this week to share a devastating personal update: he has been diagnosed with ALS, the neurodegenerative disease that has ended the lives of many athletes. But instead of focusing solely on Johnson's courage, the interview has sparked outrage over what was left unsaid.
ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, progressively robbing patients of the ability to move, speak, and eventually breathe. Johnson, who rushed for over 2,000 yards in a single season, revealed he was diagnosed last year at age 39 after noticing early symptoms. The disease has already taken a severe toll.
“It’s continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined. I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body,” Johnson said during the interview. “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.”
Johnson, now 40, used a special device to speak during the emotional segment. He noted that there is no history of ALS in his family, and doctors believe his case is sporadic—meaning it occurred without a clear genetic link. But for many, the most glaring omission came from the interviewer himself: Michael Strahan.
Strahan, a former NFL defensive end turned television personality, conducted the interview but never asked Johnson about the well-documented connection between football and ALS. Critics were quick to call out the silence. Jeff Pearlman, a former Sports Illustrated writer and author, didn't hold back, describing the coverage as “grotesque.”
“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,” Pearlman said. “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 irresponsible and grotesque.”
Pearlman didn't stop there. He accused Strahan of being “soulless” and “corporately owned,” pointing out that Strahan is paid by the NFL for his commentary on the league. “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,” Pearlman said. “And that’s because he’s getting paid a lot of money not to. It’s disgusting.”
The controversy echoes broader concerns about how the NFL and its media partners handle the health risks associated with the sport. From chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) to ALS, studies have repeatedly shown that football players face higher risks of neurological diseases. Yet, in this high-profile interview, the topic was entirely avoided.
Johnson's story is undeniably heartbreaking, and his bravery in sharing it should be commended. But the failure to address the elephant in the room—the sport that made both Johnson and Strahan famous—has left many wondering if the interview was more about protecting the NFL brand than honoring a player's legacy. As Pearlman put it, “Michael Strahan, who’s paid by the NFL, doesn’t bring it up. He knows the tie between football and ALS. He has seen fellow players suffer from ALS because they played football. And you are so soulless, and you are so corporately owned that you will not bring it up.”
For now, Johnson continues to fight, using his platform to raise awareness about the disease. But the silence from Strahan and ABC has turned a moment of vulnerability into a flashpoint for criticism, raising uncomfortable questions about how sports media handles uncomfortable truths.
