NFL fans power new wave of the viral movement started in 2014 by three men who did not live to see its return; many donors giving $28 in honor of Johnson’s jersey number
ARLINGTON, Va., July 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Ice Bucket Challenge is officially back — and this time, NFL fans are driving it. Since former NFL star Chris Johnson revealed his ALS diagnosis on Good Morning America this week and called for a revival of the challenge, the ALS Association has seen giving triple compared to typical levels, including 25% more gifts from men than usual — a demographic shift that points squarely to football fans mobilizing for one of their own. Many donors are giving exactly $28, a tribute to Johnson’s jersey number.
Hundreds of Ice Bucket Challenge videos have gone up in a matter of days, with Marshawn Lynch, LenDale White, and Johnson’s own daughter — who nominated LeBron James — among the participants. The spark was not a celebrity but a fan: Hunter Mecum, a former Utah men’s basketball player, posted an ice bucket video in Johnson’s honor. Johnson saw it and asked the world to join in.
The revival is a powerful full-circle moment. The original 2014 challenge was launched by three young men living with ALS — Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates, and Pat Quinn — who inspired more than 17 million people to participate and raised $115 million for the ALS Association. All three have since passed away from the disease. Now Johnson is picking up the torch they lit.
The original challenge dramatically accelerated the fight against ALS: for the first time, there is a treatment for a specific genetic form of the disease, there are dozens of potential treatments in the pipeline, and the number of specialized ALS clinics nationwide has more than doubled. But ALS remains 100% fatal and can strike anyone at any time.
WHO: Calaneet Balas, President and CEO of the ALS Association, is available for interviews on the resurgence, the giving surge, and what a second wave of funding could mean for people living with ALS today.
WHAT: Interviews, giving data, and background on the Ice Bucket Challenge revival sparked by Chris Johnson’s ALS diagnosis.
WHEN: Available immediately and on short notice, including holiday weekends.
WHERE: In person, via video, or by phone. Background and some of the newest Ice Bucket Challenge videos are available at als.org/IBC.
About the ALS Association: The ALS Association is the largest ALS organization in the world. The ALS Association funds global research collaborations, assists people with ALS and their families through its nationwide network of care and certified clinical care centers, and advocates for better public policies for people with ALS. The mission of the ALS Association is to make ALS livable and cure it. For more information about the ALS Association, visit our website at www.als.org.
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SOURCE The ALS Association
