Former NFL player Chris Johnson is speaking publicly about his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis for the first time.

Johnson, 40, told “Good Morning America” in an emotional interview Monday that he received his diagnosis last year, noting he had no known family history of ALS. Due to his condition, he spoke to journalist Michael Strahan via an eye-controlled speech-generating device.

“First, I want people to know I’m still me. ALS has changed what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am,” the father of four said. “If sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research, or gives another family hope, then it’s worth it.”

A Florida native, Johnson was drafted by the NFL in 2008 and played for the Tennessee Titans, the New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals over the course of his career. The running back officially retired from professional football in 2018.

Watch Chris Johnson’s “Good Morning America” appearance below.

Johnson’s wife, Brittany, said she initially thought her husband’s symptoms ― which included weakness in his right hand ― may have stemmed from past injuries he sustained during his time on the football field.

“Maybe a pinched nerve or something along those lines,” she explained, “but never ALS.”

ALS, commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is an incurable neurodegenerative condition that attacks the nervous system, progressively making it harder for people to walk, talk and eventually breathe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average life expectancy after an ALS diagnosis is two to five years.

Elsewhere in his “GMA” appearance, Johnson said his disease has “continued to progress much faster than I ever imagined,” noting: “Just over a year ago, I was picking up my 7-year-old daughter so she’d make a wish with her birthday cake. Today, I couldn’t do that.”

He credited late “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” actor Eric Dane, who died in February after living with ALS, with inspiring him to go public with his diagnosis, and thanked his wife and his children for giving him “a reason to keep fighting.”

“Honestly, I don’t know if you ever fully process it,” he said. “At first you’re in shock, then you realize you have two choices: You can give up, or you could fight. I chose to fight.”

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