Former Titans star running back Chris Johnson, who is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), will not be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor on Sunday against the Jets since he cannot attend the Week 1 contest due to “unforeseen circumstances,” the team announced Friday afternoon.
The postponement came one day after Johnson penned a letter to his children in The Players Tribune, opening up about his battle with ALS.
“Knowing how much he and his family desire to be in person at Nissan Stadium for his induction into the Titans Ring of Honor, we will postpone the official induction ceremony and look forward to celebrating with the them at a future date,” the team said in a release. “Sunday’s halftime ceremony will remain dedicated to celebrating Chris’ incredible on-field achievements and legacy with our team. Our thoughts, along with those of Titans fans everywhere, continue to be with Chris and his wife, Brittany.”
Johnson, known as “CJ2K” after becoming one of now nine men to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season, announced in June on “Good Morning America” that he had been diagnosed with ALS last year.
The 40-year-old now uses a wheelchair and an electronic device to speak.
ALS is “a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The disease leads to muscle weakness and other symptoms that get worse over time,” according to the Mayo Clinic. No cure has yet to be found for what is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
“Honestly, I don’t know if you ever fully process it,” Johnson told “GMA” in June. “At first, you’re in shock. Then you realize you have two choices. You can give up, or you can fight. I chose to fight.”
The Titans announced in July that they would induct Johnson into their Ring of Honor during their season-opening home game against the Jets on Sept. 13.
Johnson spent six of his 10 NFL seasons with the Titans from 2008-13 after being selected by the franchise with the No. 24 pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.
He famously rushed for 2,006 yards — the seventh-most single-season rushing yards in NFL history and fifth at the time — in 2009 while winning Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Johnson later spent a season with the Jets followed by three seasons with the Cardinals, and finished his career with 9,561 rushing yards and 55 rushing touchdowns.
“Chris Johnson holds a special place in the hearts of our organization and fans,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in the July release. “His stats speak for themselves, and he will forever remain a leader in our record books, but the man behind the yardage deserves just as much celebration. We look forward to welcoming him home on Sept. 13 and officially inducting him into the Titans Ring of Honor.”
In his “A letter to my kids” column addressed to his four children — Honey, CJ, Kaden and Lee — Johnson reflected on his professional career and learning that he had ALS.
He wrote that he’s seen a lot of neurologists and one of his takeaways after telling doctors he played football is “Ahh, OK,” due to the higher rate of ALS among those who have played the sport.
“How can a man just be perfectly healthy one day, running around with his kids in the yard, and then the next, your hand starts getting weak, and it just travels throughout your whole body until you can’t talk anymore?” he wrote. “Man, I’ve asked myself that question like a million times, and I still don’t have an answer.
Johnson also added personal messages to each of his four children.
He wrote: “You guys are my biggest reason I keep fighting.”
The Titans open the season with two straight home games, with the Eagles visiting in Week 2 on Sept. 20, before two consecutive road tilts and then a third home in Week 5 against Houston on Oct. 11.
