The Tennessee Titans have postponed their ceremony to honor franchise legend Chris Johnson, the team announced on Friday.
The Titans were scheduled to induct the running back into their Ring of Honor at halftime during Sunday's season opener against the New York Jets.
The ceremony was slated to take place just over two months after Johnson, who also played for the Jets during his NFL career, revealed he had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
However, the franchise announced on Friday that the induction had to be put on hold after his family was unable to travel to Nashville this weekend.
The Titans still plan to honor Johnson at halftime but the official induction ceremony will now take place at a later date.
'Due to unforeseen circumstances, Chris Johnson and his family are no longer able to travel to Nashville for this Sunday's game,' the statement said.
The Tennessee Titans have postponed their ceremony to honor legend Chris Johnson
The former running back announced earlier this year that he had been diagnosed with ALS
'Knowing how much he and his family desire to be in person at Nissan Stadium for his induction into the Titans Ring of Honor, we will postpone the official induction ceremony and look forward to celebrating the moment with them at a future date.'
Johnson, 40, only ended his professional career in 2017 after three seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, totaling 11,000 yards in his ten years in the league.
He is best known for his six seasons in Tennessee, during which he was voted to the Pro Bowl three times and won Offensive Player of the Year, before moving to the New York Jets.
Johnson, who won Offensive Player of the Year in 2009, revealed on 'Good Morning America' in June that he had been suffering from ALS - also known as 'Lou Gehrig's Disease' - for over a year.
Johnson - who was one of the fastest running backs in NFL history - was only diagnosed last year at the age of 39, but has already lost the ability to speak, using his eyes to trigger a voice machine as he sat alongside his wife for the ABC interview.
'First, I want people to know that I'm still me,' he began. 'ALS has changed what my body can do but it hasn't changed who I am.'
His rapid decline 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.'
Johnson was diagnosed last year and now uses his eyes to trigger a voice machine to speak
Johnson has four children. He admits life is not like it was a year ago as he lives with ALS
The ex-NFL star was in what he describes as the 'prime of his life' when he received the diagnosis and had been working out every day and spending time with his wife and four children.
'I first noticed weakness in my right hand,' he told Strahan. 'At first it was little things like, my grip didn't feel right. And I wasn't as strong as I'd always been.'
His wife Brittany explained how she had initially thought it was a simpler, football-related injury like a pinched nerve, before their world began to unravel.
'We hoped it was something else, but after thorough testing, they finally came down with a diagnosis of ALS,' Johnson then explained. 'They told us about a medication that might extend life by a few months, then they told us to get our affairs in order.
'It was hard hearing that but after watching Good Morning America and seeing Dr Merit [Cudkowicz] with Eric Dane, we reached out to her. She was willing to think more creatively and offer experimental treatments that might help and advance research.'
Johnson holds his Offensive Player of the Year trophy in February 2010 alongside Phil Simms
Johnson spoke through the machine alongside his wife during the ABC interview at their home
Johnson has no history of the disease in his family and doctors believe his condition to be a case of 'sporadic ALS', which is the most common form of the disease and occurs randomly.
'It can happen to someone who never expected it,' Johnson revealed. 'I don't know if you can ever fully process it.
'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.'
After his diagnosis, doctors recorded Johnson's voice, so that even when he is using a machine to speak, it still sounds exactly like him.

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