News involving the health of current and former NFL players often resonates across the football world. Whether it is a career-threatening injury or a life-changing diagnosis, the league has consistently rallied around its own during difficult moments.
That was the case again on Monday as football fans across the world were dealt another unfortunate news involving a player that once took the league by storm.
Tennessee Titans star Chris Johnson, widely known as “CJ2K,” revealed that he has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Johnson shared the news during an emotional interview with former NFL star and Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan, explaining that he was diagnosed last year at age 39.
The announcement prompted an outpouring of support from across the football world. Among those to publicly respond was Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who sent a heartfelt message to Johnson.
“Man… Praying for CJ2K 🙏🏽🙏🏽,” Mahomes wrote on X.
Johnson established himself as one of the NFL’s most explosive running backs during his 10-year career. The Tennessee Titans selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, and he became a three-time Pro Bowler and 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
That season, he rushed for 2,006 yards, becoming just the sixth player in league history to surpass the 2,000-yard mark, while setting the NFL single-season record with 2,509 yards from scrimmage. He retired after the 2017 season with 9,651 rushing yards, 55 rushing touchdowns and the distinction of being the only player in NFL history with six touchdown runs of at least 80 yards.
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Mahomes is also working through a major setback of his own. The two-time NFL MVP is recovering from torn ACL and LCL injuries suffered late last season. The Chiefs expect Mahomes to be ready for the start of the 2026 season, and he has continued his rehabilitation throughout the offseason as the franchise prepares for training camp.
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