Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith joined the renewed Ice Bucket Challenge on Monday, using it to back Tennessee Titans great Chris Johnson after Johnson revealed he has ALS.
Smith accepted the challenge after being tagged by Buffalo Bills legend Thurman Thomas, and he made clear the gesture was for Johnson and others living with the disease. “To my dear brother Chris Johnson, I'm dedicating this ice bucket challenge to you and to those affected by this illness,” Smith said on X. “I want to take a moment to send blessing and prayers to you, your family and support you in your fight.”
Johnson recently spoke with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America and shared that his condition has advanced to the point that he now relies on a speech-generation device. Through that device, Johnson said, “It's continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined.
I want people to understand just how quickly ALS can attack your body. Just over a year ago, I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter so she'd make a wish with her birthday cake,” he said through the device.
“Today, I couldn't do that.”
Johnson also said there is no ALS history in his family and that doctors believe he has “sporadic ALS, which is actually how the vast majority of ALS cases happen,” Johnson said. He added, “That's one of the reasons this disease can be so shocking. It can happen to someone who never expected it.”
The former Titans running back later turned to Instagram to address the broader issue of football and head trauma, saying, “I hope the NFL steps up, invests in research and continues working to protect players -- both now and for generations to come,” Johnson said. “Together, we can push toward better treatments and, one day, a cure.”
Smith is the latest former NFL running back to take part in the challenge in support of Johnson and others affected by ALS. Johnson’s diagnosis has also renewed discussion about the link between repetitive head trauma and the disease, though that topic was not part of his Good Morning America interview.
Johnson spent 10 seasons in the NFL with the Titans, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, the same team Smith finished his career with. His 2009 season remains one for the record books: he ran for more than 2,000 yards and finished with 2,509 yards from scrimmage, still the NFL record.
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