Overview
- On Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026, Johnson published a letter to his children and issued emotional statements describing how quickly his condition has changed.
- He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2025 after first noticing weakness in his right hand and now reports declining speech while using a computer and speaker to approximate his voice.
- Johnson revived the Ice Bucket Challenge this summer to drive donations and awareness for ALS research and has publicly encouraged athletes and fans to donate.
- The Tennessee Titans publicly praised Johnson’s leadership and pledged support as the team plans to honor him in its Ring of Honor around the season opener.
- ALS is a progressive, incurable neurological disease that impairs movement, speech and breathing, and Johnson has said he wonders whether his decade in the NFL played a role as researchers study higher ALS rates among some former contact-sport players.