Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan has fired back at criticism over his interview with Chris Johnson. During the June 29 interview, the former Tennessee Titans RB revealed that he had been diagnosed with ALS at age 39. Some viewers criticized Strahan for not asking about the possible link between football and the disease.
Inside Michael Strahan’s response to backlash
During a July 28 appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, Strahan responded to viewers who questioned why he did not ask the former NFL star whether football contributed to his ALS diagnosis.
The 54-year-old TV host said, as per People, “Well, I had that — I actually thought about that, because I saw what every [one said], ‘Well you should have asked this, you should have asked that. Well, you should have got the interview. How about that? That’s one thing.”
Strahan said it was “Chris’s moment” and he did not want to take attention away from what he wanted to say. Strahan said the NFL player wanted to share his story. “And when I got the call that Chris wanted to share that he has, you know, ALS, that was the story. It wasn’t for me to try to grandstand, which — I hate when people do this, Dan.”
Strahan said his job as an interviewer is to share information, not make guests uncomfortable for headlines. He explained that he wanted to help Johnson tell his story and keep the focus on his ALS diagnosis. “I did ask Chris about football, 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, but a few were critical of, but overall, I’m very proud of what we did there at ABC in bringing that story,” Strahan said.
Former Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman was one of several people who criticized Strahan, reports The Spun. Pearlman criticized Strahan for not asking Johnson about the possible connection between playing football and ALS. He said studies have shown a link between the disease and football, especially among NFL players, and called the interview’s lack of discussion on the topic irresponsible. Pearlman said Strahan lacked the courage to discuss the connection between football and ALS during the interview. He accused Strahan of avoiding the topic because of his ties to the industry.
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