Ex-NFL Running Back Chris Johnson Thanks ‘Caregiver’ Wife Amid ALS Diagnosis: ‘Aren’t Enough Words’
Former NFL running back Chris Johnson has opened up about how his ALS battle is affecting the people in his life, including his wife and kids.
Johnson, 39, went public with his diagnosis in a Monday, June 29, appearance on Good Morning America, taking to Instagram later that day to thank his family.
“Thanks again for all your support!” he wrote in the caption, alongside a pair of graphics filled with text describing his situation. “If you would like to donate to ALS research the clickable link is in my bio.”
“Last year, I was diagnosed with ALS, and for a while, the only thing I could do was hold on, day by day,” he wrote on the graphic. “What you’re seeing today wasn’t just a story I agreed to tell. It was a real moment in my real life, with real people who love me, care for me and refuse to let me face this alone.”
Related: Wife of Late NFL Legend Steve McMichael Reacts to Him Being Diagnosed With CTE
The wife of late Chicago Bears Hall of Famer Steve McMichael is speaking out after her husband’s post mortem CTE diagnosis. “Too many NFL players are developing ALS during life and diagnosed with CTE after death,” Steve’s wife, Misty McMichael, said in a statement released by the Concussion & CTE Foundation on Tuesday, April 7. […]He continued, “Most of all, I want to thank my wife, Brittany. There aren’t enough words for what you’ve done. You’ve become my caregiver, my advocate, my voice when I need one, and somehow you’ve continued to hold our family together through all of this. I know this hasn’t just changed my life — it has changed yours too. I couldn’t fight this without you.”
Chris, Brittany and their four kids have long kept their personal lives private, but Brittany appeared on Good Morning America alongside her husband, where she shared how she’s supported the family.
“All I could think about was our kids and how young they are,” she said. “You’re in denial. You want it to be anything else. You want the doctors to be wrong. The life that we previously had is now a thing of the past. But we’re still hopeful. We’re hopeful that a breakthrough will happen, or that a miracle will happen.”
Chris also thanked his kids for taking on an impossible role.
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Related: NFL's Greg Olsen Announces Death of His Brother Chris at 42 in Emotional Post
Former NFL tight end Greg Olsen announced the death of his older brother, Chris, in a poignant social media post. “It is with great sadness that I share this update. Despite fighting with every ounce of his being, my older brother Chris has lost his battle with Glioblastoma,” Greg, 40, shared via Instagram on Thursday, […]“To my kids…I love you more than you’ll ever know,” he wrote. “You’ve stepped into responsibilities no child should ever have to carry. You’ve helped take care of me, encouraged me on the hard days, and reminded me every day why I refuse to give up. Watching you shoulder a burden that isn’t fair has been one of the hardest parts of the journey, but you’ve done it with so much love. Everything I do is for you.”
Chris acknowledged that he is not the first former NFL player to be diagnosed with ALS. Steve Gleason, Kevin Turner and Dwight Clark are among the others to battle the disease.
“While we don’t know exactly how my ALS started, there is growing research linking repetitive head trauma to ALS,” Chris explained. “Studies have found that NFL players are nearly four times more likely to develop ALS than the general population. I hope the NFL steps up, in vests in research, and continues working to protect players — both now and for generations to come. Together we can push toward better treatments and one day a cure.”
Just For You
New Ranking Shows Broncos Have One of NFL's Most Dangerous Pass-Rushing Duos
New Ranking Shows Broncos Have One of NFL's Most Dangerous Pass-Rushing Duos
There's an argument that the Denver Broncos' pass-rushing duo should rank No. 1 in the NFL. Chad Jensen|
In this story:
Denver BroncosIn back-to-back seasons, the Denver Broncos led the NFL in sacks. With 68, Denver came tantalizingly close to breaking the 1984 Chicago Bears' all-time single-season sack record last season of 72.
If the Broncos could have finished a little bit stronger down the stretch, they probably would have caught the '84 Bears. It didn't help that Jonathon Cooper only totaled one sack over the final eight weeks of the season. Talk about a fall-off.
It might be too much to ask for the Broncos to lead the NFL in sacks for a third straight year, but the top two guys are back. Speaking of outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and defensive end Zach Allen, the Broncos' duo checked in at No. 3 in Sports Illustrated's top five pass-rushing tandems of 2026.
"A 3-4 defensive end, Allen might be the most underrated player in the NFL. It’s something that should be impossible, considering he played for a 14–3, top-seeded team last season. Yet he remains so, even with pacing the NFL over the past two seasons in quarterback hits with 47 and 40, respectively," SI's Matt Verderame wrote.
Allen may indeed still be underrated, especially by the fans in the Pro Bowl voting, but he's made the A.P.'s All-Pro team in each of the past two seasons, including the first team last year, so his cache has grown tremendously around the NFL. And at 28, he's still in his prime window.
Interior pressure is so valuable in the NFL. It flusters quarterbacks like nothing else, and often leads to the edge rushers capitalizing on the work of the inside guys.
In Bonitto's case, he's certainly benefited at times from Allen's interior pressure, happy to clean up a scrambling quarterback. But Bonitto creates plenty of his own pressure, which Allen has capitalized on himself. It's a symbiotic relationship with this inside/outside duo.
"On the outside, Bonitto earned a four-year, $106 million extension beginning this year by turning into one of the game’s elite pass rushers. Last season, he helped the Broncos lead the league with 68 sacks by having a team-high 14, his second consecutive season with at least 13.5. Only 26 and surrounded by pass rushers, including Allen and Jonathan Cooper, Bonitto’s best days might be ahead of him," Verderame wrote.
A 2022 second-round pick, Bonitto was a bit of a late bloomer, with his break-out season coming in Year 3. Entering Year 5 now, he's a bona fide Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
More Takeaways
What the Broncos are hoping to see from Allen and Bonitto this year is a bigger focus on punching the ball out. Both players get to the quarterback so often, whether it's pressures, hits, or sacks, but the strips and forced fumbles haven't been there.
Bonitto did have a beautiful strip-sack on Josh Allen in the Broncos' 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round, turning the corner and hitting him hard from the blind side to knock the ball out. It was one of four Allen turnovers on the day.
The Broncos now have a lot of money tied up in their front seven, with all projected starters playing on big extensions. Allen and Bonitto are on their second contracts with the club, and they're young enough that they could end up with a third.
With Cooper being arrested twice in June and facing serious criminal charges in Denver, it's unclear what the Broncos will ultimately decide to do with the troubled rush linebacker. The NFL is expected to hand down a suspension, regardless of what happens in court, so the Broncos have to start planning for life without Cooper for at least a little while.
That'll put more pressure on Bonitto and Allen, but not too much more. The Broncos are very deep at rush linebacker, with guys like Jonah Elliss, Dondrea Tillman, and Que Robinson champing at the bit to see the field.
The Takeaway
It'll be fun to see how the 2026 season plays out for the Broncos' defense. If Allen and Bonitto stay on their trajectory, perhaps they can climb higher in SI's pass-rush-duo rankings next offseason.
Myles Garrett and Byron Young of the Los Angeles Rams checked in at No. 1 in SI's rankings, followed by Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. of the Houston Texans at No. 2. Garrett and Young, as a duo, is all projection, as this will be their first year playing together.
I would have put Hunter and Anderson at the top, followed by Bonitto and Allen, simply based on their proven track record as tandems. But to each their own.
Published 15 minutes ago
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CHAD JENSENChad Jensen is the Publisher of Denver Broncos On SI, the Founder of Mile High Huddle, and creator of the popular Mile High Huddle Podcast. Chad has been on the Denver Broncos beat since 2012 and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
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Jalen Ramsey Speaks Candidly to Colorado Buffaloes on Leadership Retreat
Jalen Ramsey Speaks Candidly to Colorado Buffaloes on Leadership Retreat
Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders found a unique resource for his players in current Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey.Charlie Viehl|
In this story:
Colorado BuffaloesPittsburgh SteelersColorado coach Deion Sanders hosted a leadership retreat with roughly 20 players from the Buffaloes roster, and "Coach Prime" called upon current NFL defensive back Jalen Ramsey to share some words of wisdom with the leaders of the Colorado football team.
Buffaloes freshmen and transfers, like offensive lineman Xavier Payne and wide receiver Danny Scudero, were part of the group, as well as a few returning Colorado players. Ramsey spoke to the Buffs on the leadership retreat with "Coach Prime" in attendance, and the NFL star gave his advice to the current college athletes.
What Jalen Ramsey Told Colorado Buffaloes Leaders
The conversation between Colorado's leaders and Ramsey was captured by Deion Sanders Jr. and posted onto the Well Off Media channel on YouTube.
"The way to pay that back, man, is to work y'all asses off," Ramsey told the Buffaloes. "Every opportunity y'all get. Don't even think of it as work. Think of it as an opportunity. Like, 'Man, let me go show them how appreciative I am of everything they're doing for me.' You know what I mean? 'Cause they (Colorado) could do everything the cookie cutter way like everybody else. Like all of this, they don't have to do this."
Ramsey is a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, but he was originally drafted out of Florida State by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Ramsey finished with the second-most votes for defensive rookie of the year, but he has been named to the First Team NFL All-Pro three times in his career.
Ramsey won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, and his experience climbing the highest mountaintop in the sport is certainly an advantage for "Coach Prime" and the Buffs to tap into to.
The feeling goes both ways, though, with Ramsey revealing that he still wants to learn from Sanders, widely considered the best cornerback in NFL history.
"I've been talking to Prime all offseason. Like 'I just got to be around him.' That's it, like I just need to be around him. I just need to feel some greatness. I got the fire and everything, still working my tail off going into year 11, but it's something about just being around greatness sometimes, it gives you that 'lil extra motivation. You just want to be around somebody to soak up some game, soak up some knowledge," Ramsey said.
Colorado Buffaloes 2026 Outlook
Ramsey clearly views a great player like "Coach Prime" as a resource, and Sanders has been able to attract great talents to Boulder, both in the transfer portal and recruiting. Despite a revamped roster, though, Colorado is relatively doubted heading into 2026.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Colorado's over/under for expected win total is set at 4.5, and the Buffaloes are tied with Cincinnati and Iowa State for the lowest odds of winning the Big 12.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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Published 32 minutes ago
CHARLIE VIEHLCharlie Viehl is the deputy editor for the Oregon Ducks, Colorado Buffaloes, and USC Trojans on SI. He has written hundreds of articles for SI and has covered events like the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician, holding a degree in Music and Philosophy from Boston College. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.
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