Bills James Cook Shares Message to Chris Johnson During Former Titans' ALS Battle
Bills James Cook Shares Message to Chris Johnson During Former Titans' ALS Battle
The former Titans running back is dealing with a tough time and the Bills' RB sent him a message of encouragement.Alex Brasky|
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Buffalo Bills | News, Scores, Schedules & StandingsJames Cook is a man of few words and the Buffalo Bills running back didn’t waste a single syllable while sending an encouraging message to a fellow member of the NFL brotherhood.
Former Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson recently revealed on Good Morning America that he is battling ALS, formerly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. ALS is a fatal neurological disorder that impacts the nerve cells throughout the body, which has robbed one of the NFL’s most electrifying ball carriers in its history of his jaw-dropping athleticism and much more.
After his announcement, the NFL world started to rally around the former Titans RB, and that included Cook, who posted to social media in an effort to send some well wishes Johnson’s way.
Cook posted a folded hands emoji to his X account, representing prayers for Johnson’s well-being as he continues to fight against such a heinous condition.
Johnson was one of the best running backs of his era
The NFL legend played 10 seasons in the league, his first six in Tennessee. During his time with the Titans, Johnson ran for over 1,000 yards on six separate occasions, including a monstrous 2009 campaign, his second year in the league, when he finished with 2,006 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. At the time, he was just the sixth RB to ever surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a is single season.
He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of the first three seasons of his career, which he finished with 4,598 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns. Johnson was also a threat out of the backfield as a receiver, finishing with 40 receptions or more on five separate occasions, including 50 receptions for 503 yards and two additional touchdowns during his historic ’09 season.
Johnson had plenty of success versus Buffalo. Across six games against the Bills, Johnson averaged 88.7 rushing yards per contest while scoring six touchdowns.
Johnson is the latest NFL player to be diagnosed with ALS. Former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason and former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Steve McMichael are two other former players battling the condition.
Cook hit the right note with his message
Due to his shyness during interviews, Cook might not come across as the most thoughtful member of the Bills’ organization. However, once you peel back the onion, there is much more than meets the eye when it comes to the Buffalo running back.
Cook’s message to Johnson may not have been long and elaborate, but it hit the right note and offered some much-needed support to a fellow athlete in need.
Good on him.
Published 8 minutes ago
ALEX BRASKYAlex Brasky is editor of Shout! magazine, along with serving as a contributor to Bills - ONSI. He has been on the Bills beat the past nine seasons and recently joined Newsweek to expand his coverage beyond the NFL. Alex has also previously covered the MLB, Pro Baseball Hall of Fame, PGA Tour and March Madness and earned first place for his spot news coverage in the New York Press Association's Better Newspaper contest.
Follow alexbraskyMarkey: Trump Administration About 'Making America Hate Again'
Markey: Trump Administration About ‘Making America Hate Again’
Pam Key1 Jul 2026
Wednesday on MS NOW’s “On the Line,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) said the Trump administration was about “making America hate again.”
Host Alicia Menendez said, “Just hours after yesterday’s birthright citizenship ruling came down, the Trump Justice Department directed prosecutors to target, quote, birth tourists or foreign nationals who arrive in the United States pregnant and give birth here. They are not satisfied by what they got yesterday from the Supreme Court. They are not going to stop simply because the, the Supreme Court says that birthright is, in fact, constitutional. What would what the Justice Department is suggesting actually look like in practice? And what can you do to push back?”
Markey said, “This is just a continuation of the Trump administration, attempts to make America Great again by making America great again. What they did last Friday in the Supreme Court decision, saying that 350,000 Haitians have to leave, our country and its protections in order to go back to a country where, are American citizens are told it’s too dangerous to go. Yesterday, Supreme Court decision, on, demonizing transgender kids. And today, they’re seeking, again, just to keep this issue of hate, of discrimination, of, of an attempt to demonize others in order to distract from the affordability crisis which we have in our country. So they are just going to continue this all the way to Election Day.”
Follow Pam Key on X @pamkeyNEN
Markey: SCOTUS Must Be Expanded by Four Seats
Markey: SCOTUS Must Be Expanded by Four Seats
Pam Key1 Jul 2026
Wednesday on MS NOW’s “On the Line,” Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) said he has authored a bill to “expand the Supreme Court by 4 seats, up to 13.”
Host Alicia Menendez said, “I do have to ask you, in light of this week’s rulings from the Supreme Court, about court expansion. I know it’s an idea that you have supported in the past. You still have a lot of Democratic colleagues who are not there. Is this a conversation you’re having inside the caucus?”
Markey said, “Yes, I am the author of the court expansion bill. The Republicans stole two Supreme Court seats in 2016 and 2020. That’s what’s giving them their supermajority. The only way to solve this problem in a very short period of time is to expand the Supreme Court by 4 seats, up to 13. That would then restore the 7-6 majority, which should be in place right now. And we have to fight for that, and we can do that statutorily. It does not require a constitutional amendment. That has to be at the top of the agenda, and that’s what I’m talking to my colleagues about right now.”
Menendez said, “As that conversation continues to unfold, please come back and give us updates.”
Follow Pam Key on X @pamkeyNEN
How to Watch USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina on TV, Live Stream—World Cup
How to Watch USMNT vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina on TV, Live Stream—World Cup
The Stars and Stripes are aiming to beat European opposition at the World Cup for the first time in 24 years.James Cormack|
The USMNT has the difficult challenge of overcoming European opposition to reach the last 16 of a home World Cup on Wednesday, as it takes on Bosnia & Herzegovina in Santa Clara, Calif.
Support has sky-rocketed for Mauricio Pochettino‘s team in the wake of its outstanding Matchday 1 performance against Paraguay, and there’s genuine belief that this exciting crop of American soccer stars could make history this summer.
Winning Group D with a match to spare has facilitated a kind round of 32 draw on paper, but the USMNT is well aware of its woeful history against UEFA members. In fact, it has lost 10 straight against European nations and is searching for its first World Cup win against a team from the continent since 2002.
Bosnia is anything but a soccer juggernaut, but the playoff qualifiers are a plucky defensive unit that’s proven to be dominant from set-pieces at the tournament so far. The USMNT cannot afford to underestimate the Balkan nation, who’ll be desperate to dampen American enthusiasm.
Here’s how to tune into the all-or-nothing knockout stage match on television.
What Time Does USMNT vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina Kick Off?
- Location: Santa Clara, CA.
- Stadium: Levi’s Stadium
- Date: Wednesday, July 1 / Thursday, July 2
- Kick-off Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT / 1 a.m. BST (July 2)
- Referee: Raphael Claus (BRA)
How to Watch USMNT vs. Bosnia & Herzegovina on TV, Live Stream
World Cup viewership in the U.S. is booming, with 15.8 million catching the USMNT’s 3–2 defeat to Türkiye, despite Mauricio Pochettino’s team already confirming themselves as Group D winners.
Viewing tallies will soar for the start of the knockouts, with the upcoming fixture being shown on Fox Sports, Peacock and fuboTV. A Spanish-language alternative will be supplied by Telemundo.
Various TSN channels, CTV and RDS are the streaming options north of the border in Canada, while those in Mexico have access via ViX, Canal 5, TUDN and Azteca 7.
The USMNT’s round of 32 encounter has been scheduled for the early hours of Thursday morning in the United Kingdom, with the game kicking off at 1 a.m. on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
Country | Broadcaster(s) |
|---|---|
United States | FOX, Peacock, fuboTV, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, FOX One |
Canada | TSN+, TSN1, TSN3, TSN4, TSN5, RDS, CTV, RDS App, CTV App, Crave |
Mexico | Canal 5 Televisa, TUDN, Azteca 7, TUDN En Vivo, Azteca Deportes En Vivo, ViX Mexico |
United Kingdom | BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Web |
What’s Next for USMNT, Bosnia & Herzegovina?
A mammoth bracket has opened up to excite American supporters.
The winner of Wednesday’s round of 32 battle will move on to the last 16, where either Belgium or Senegal awaits on July 6 in Seattle.
Spain and Portugal are potential quarterfinal opponents, while co-host Canada is also on the same side of the bracket.
READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC
Published 1 hour ago | Modified 1 hour ago
JAMES CORMACKJames Cormack is a freelancer soccer writer for Sports Illustrated FC. An expert on Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, he follows Italian and German soccer, taking particular interest in the work of Antonio Conte & Julian Nagelsmann.
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