Cam Newton used his podcast this week to turn the spotlight from one former star’s diagnosis to a bigger question about what comes next for the NFL and its retirees.
On Tuesday, June 30, the Carolina Panthers legend addressed Chris Johnson’s ALS diagnosis on 4th&1 with Cam Newton, saying he wants to see how the league responds as former players continue to face the disease. Newton pointed to the connection between head trauma and ALS and said the league needs to think seriously about safety and long-term protection for ex-players.
“I’m very intrigued to see what the NFL’s response is to this,” Newton said on his podcast. “Why I say the NFL is because a lot of head trauma is linked to ALS. So, what’s the process to have guardrails to say number one how are you going to make the game safer?”
“How does the NFL protect former players...curious to see what their plan is,” Newton said.
Newton also noted that Johnson played in an era when hard hits across the middle were “celebrated” and players had to keep their heads on a swivel. He added that athletes were taught from a young age to get up and keep going, to walk it off.
Johnson, the former East Carolina and NFL running back known as CJ2K, revealed on Monday, June 29, in an interview on “Good Morning America” that he was diagnosed in 2025 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at age 39.
“First, I want people to know I’m still me,” Johnson said. “ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am.”
ALS affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord and leads to progressive muscle weakness, according to the Mayo Clinic. The disease eventually affects the muscles needed to move, speak, eat and breathe.
Several former NFL players have also been diagnosed with ALS, including Johnson’s former Titans teammate Tim Shaw, who was diagnosed in 2014, and former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason, who was diagnosed in 2011.
Johnson’s playing career stretched from 2008 to 2017. He entered the league with Tennessee at 23 and last played in the NFL in 2017. He opened his career with six straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including 2,006 yards rushing in 2009.
He remains the only player in NFL history with a combined 2,500 rushing and receiving yards in a season. Johnson also held the NFL Combine’s 40-yard dash record for nearly a decade at 4.24 seconds.
Over his career, he played for the Titans from 2008-2013, spent 2014 with the Jets and finished with the Cardinals from 2015-2017. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and the 2009 offensive player of the year.
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