Good Morning America Missed The Real Story: Nearly 4x Higher ALS Risk For NFL Players Is NO Joke

Alright 12s, you gotta hear this. Former NFL running back Chris Johnson just went public with an ALS diagnosis, and while we're all sending him nothing but love and support, what went down on Good Morning America when he shared his story? It kinda missed the point, big time. We're talking about a connection between this brutal disease and football that we absolutely CANNOT ignore. It's a huge deal for our game, for the players we cheer for every Sunday, and frankly, for every single one of us who bleeds green and blue.

The NFL's Established, Undeniable Link To ALS

Why are we so fired up about this? Because this isn't some new theory, folks. The link between ALS and football is established, period. This isn't speculation; it's a cold, hard fact. Since July 7, 2014, ALS has been one of the specific conditions, right there alongside Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, early and moderate dementia, and even certain CTE diagnoses after death, that automatically qualified retired players for no-questions-asked compensation from the NFL’s massive, unlimited concussion settlement fund. The league itself has recognized it, the medical community knows it, so why on earth are we letting anyone pretend it's not a thing? This is about our heroes, past and present.

The

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Numbers Are Staring Us Down, 12s And if you needed more proof, listen to this staggering data: A 2021 study took a deep dive into 19,423 NFL athletes who debuted between 1960 and 2019 and played at least one professional game. The findings were absolutely wild, and they should shake every single fan to their core. The risks of developing ALS for these dedicated athletes were nearly FOUR TIMES AS HIGH as those of the general population. Four times! That's not a coincidence, that's a flashing red siren that we simply cannot ignore. It's a truth that hits close to home when you think about the relentless hits and battles on the field. Johnson's wife, Brittany, even thought his initial symptoms, a weakness in his right hand, might have just been a pinched nerve. But the scientific numbers don't lie, and they're staring us all down. This isn't about stats on a scoreboard; it's about the health of the heroes who put their bodies on the line every single gameday. When a story this important breaks, about a former NFL player facing something so serious, and the established, scientific link gets completely glossed over on national TV? That's a fumble we can't afford to drop. We, as fans, gotta demand that this conversation happens, openly and honestly, for the sake of every player who gives their all for the game we love. It's time to keep our eyes wide open, 12s. We owe it to them.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.