Michael Strahan, the Hall of Fame defensive end turned Good Morning America host, is catching serious heat this week after a sit-down with former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson. Johnson revealed his ALS diagnosis on the show, but critics say Strahan dropped the ball by not addressing the elephant in the room: the link between football and the disease.
Johnson, who rushed for over 2,000 yards in a single season and made three Pro Bowls, shared how rapidly ALS has taken hold. “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,” he said. It was a heartbreaking moment, but some believe Strahan missed a crucial opportunity.
Jeff Pearlman, a former Sports Illustrated writer and author, didn’t hold back. He called out Strahan for failing to ask Johnson about the connection between ALS and football. “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. It is so (expletive) irresponsible and grotesque.”
Pearlman didn’t stop there. He accused Strahan of being a “coward on TV” who “doesn’t have the courage and the decency and the wherewithal to mention the ties between football and ALS.” He suggested Strahan’s silence is tied to his paycheck. “That’s because he’s getting paid a (expletive) of money not to. It’s (expletive) disgusting.”
Former ESPN personality Dan Le Batard echoed those sentiments, arguing that Strahan had a responsibility to viewers. “Michael Strahan has a responsibility in that instance to ask some sort of football-related question, and he did not do it,” Le Batard said. “It’s just too uncomfortable. You just can’t enjoy that thing the way you do … when these guys are limping through their retirement homes to an early death.”
Le Batard pointed out the obvious: “The only reason Chris Johnson is on there is not because he has the disease, it’s because he played football. The reason Chris Johnson is being interviewed is because this is a former athlete of some name. They’re not interviewing random people with ALS, they’re interviewing this person. And so to neglect that question is an omission that I don’t know why the omission is there.”
The criticism has sparked a broader conversation about how the NFL and its stars handle the health risks tied to the sport. Johnson’s diagnosis has also reignited calls for the Titans to retire his No. 28 jersey. But for now, the spotlight is on Strahan, who has yet to respond to the backlash.
As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: the interview missed a chance to educate millions about the real costs of football. Whether Strahan will address the criticism remains to be seen, but the sports world is watching closely.
