Michael Strahan has hit back at critics who questioned his recent interview with former NFL running back Chris Johnson regarding his battle with ALS.
The Good Morning America host sat down with the 40-year-old former Tennessee Titans star late last month as Johnson publicly revealed his diagnosis with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
However, the roughly seven-minute segment drew criticism from media figures who questioned why Strahan failed to press Johnson on research connecting football-related head trauma to the terminal neurodegenerative disease.
Addressing the backlash during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Strahan fired back at the criticism and defended his approach.
‘I actually thought about that, because I saw everybody [saying] ‘you should have asked this, you should have asked that’. Well you should have got the interview, how about that?’ Strahan said with a chuckle.
‘That was Chris’ moment for Chris to share the story which Chris wanted to share,’ the Pro Football Hall of Famer explained. ‘And when I got the call that Chris wanted to share that he had ALS, that was the story. It wasn’t for me to try and grandstand’.
Michael Strahan has hit back at critics of his recent interview with ex-NFL star Chris Johnson
Johnson revealed he is battling ALS in a devastating interview with Good Morning America
‘As an interviewer, our job is to deliver information,’ Strahan added. ‘I’m not trying to get a bigger name for myself by putting somebody else in an uncomfortable position.
‘I was there as a service to Chris for what Chris wanted people to know about his life and where he was now. I was not there to make a story about myself or get a big headline. That’s what it wasn’t about’.
Studies led by researchers at Harvard University and Boston University’s CTE Center have drawn a strong correlation between playing in the NFL and an increased risk of developing ALS.
While Strahan acknowledged the debate surrounding the disease, he emphasized that his primary duty was honoring Johnson’s trust in opening up about his health.
‘The headlines were about Chris, [which] is where they needed to be,’ Strahan added. ‘I did ask Chris about football and how the NFL has been supportive and all those things’
‘He has twin boys who play football right now, so there are so many things that people don’t know, I’m very proud and very happy that Chris trusted us to tell it’.
Johnson, the 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, rocked the sporting world when he made the devastating announcement in an interview with Strahan late last month.
Johnson was one of the fastest running backs in NFL history, playing for the Titans and Jets
The ex-NFL star, who has four kids, admits life is not like it was a year ago as he lives with ALS
He was only diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), the progressive neurological disease that slowly destroys motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, last year at the age of 39, but has already lost the ability to speak.
In the interview with Strahan, Johnson was using his eyes to trigger a voice machine as he sat alongside his wife Brittany.
Johnson’s tragic Good Morning America interview left fans in tears as they watched him explain his diagnosis and the subsequent effects on his body.
When asked why he had chosen now to share his story, Johnson revealed: ‘Because if sharing my story helps even one person get diagnosed sooner, inspires more research or gives another family hope, then it’s worth it.’
