There will likely not be a dry eye in the stadium when former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson is inducted to the team’s Ring of Honor this fall.
On Friday, The Titans announced the decision to make Johnson, who retired in 2019, the 20th member of their Ring of Honor.
Some fans, however, think the choice to give Johnson this distinction should not have taken as long as it did.
“Only took him being diagnosed with ALS to get him in (shaking my head) shoulda been done years ago,” one fan said.
Other fans, though, cut the Titans some slack amidst the criticism of the timing for putting Johnson into the Ring of Honor.
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“Anyone saying this is ‘only because he was diagnosed with ALS’ needs to st—u,'” another fan said. “His accolades ensured he was going in the ring eventually.”
“Yes, it probably should’ve already been done. Yes, it was probably expedited because of his diagnosis. Better now than after he’s gone,” the X user added.
Johnson made national news last month, when he and his wife, Brittany, announced in an interview on “Good Morning America” that he was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) in 2025.
The disease, which currently has no cure, stripped Johnson of some of his motor functions. He now uses a computer, which has his voice built in, that tracks his eye movement to communicate.
The average life expectancy for someone diagnosed with ALS is three to five years, although an estimated 30 percent of people live five years or more, and 10 percent to 20 percent live at least 10 years, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“Honestly, I don’t know if you ever fully process it,” Johnson said about his ALS diagnosis. “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 ceremony to put Johnson in the Titans Ring of Honor is scheduled to take place at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The Titans host the New York Jets that day for their season opener of the 2026 NFL campaign.
Johnson, who turns 41 in September, played in 130 games across 10 NFL seasons. He rushed for 2,006 yards with the Titans in 2009, setting a single-season NFL record with 2,509 total yards from scrimmage.
“Chris Johnson holds a special place in the hearts of our organization and our fans,” Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said in statement. “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.”
