Chris Johnson: Letter to His Kids

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I’ve seen a lot of neurologists at this point and been to basically every major ALS clinic in the country, and in my experience, as soon as you say you played football it’s like, “Ahh, OK.” Almost like an understanding, you know? I read one study, and from my understanding, it found that former NFL players were nearly four times as likely to develop and pass away from ALS compared with the U.S. male population overall. That was a shock. And to be clear, your dad’s not an expert, and that’s just one study, and there might be other environmental factors at play. Anybody can get ALS. But obviously, I can’t help but wonder if there’s any connection between my career and where I am now. At the end of the day, though, here’s what I want y’all kids to know. As a youngin’ growing up in Florida, I fell in love with the game of football. It was my dream to hear my name called in the first round of the draft and see my highlights on ESPN on Monday morning. And in the years since completing that journey, it’s been one of the greatest gifts of my life to watch you guys fall in love with this game, too.

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One thing I love about our lil crew — we strong enough to get through anything. I feel so blessed that I was able to be that type of dad who was going to be in the drop-off line every morning at school, or coaching your football team, or watching your school play. I still remember sitting on the floor and playing with y’all for hours when you were small. All those memories are priceless to me. These days, the moments I just get to spend time with y’all around the house and be a family, those are my very best moments. I cherish them. They mean the world to me. More than you could ever know.

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There’s a lot we still don’t know about this disease. Every day I wake up hoping today is the day they call me with a cure, but the future is a mystery. And honestly, just being real with y’all, there might be some hard days ahead. That’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you kids about. Life is hard sometimes. I’m always sayin’ it, I know. But that’s because it’s the truth. As you continue to grow into the smart, capable people I’m so proud to see y’all becoming, you’re gonna face challenges and run into roadblocks along the way. Everybody does. Sometimes it will even feel like you can’t get through them. But trust me, y’all will. You’ll face mountains you think you can’t climb. Then you’ll climb them. It’s my job as your dad to instill within you the mindset that you can do hard things. You’re prepared. We raised you with all the tools that you’ll need for this life. And I don’t just mean the life you have under our roof. I mean the one you’ll go out and make for yourselves.

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