Western Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson has broken his silence on a cancer scare he endured in 2025 that saw a lump “the size of a small footy” removed from the 49-year-old. Johnson is the record games holder for the Bulldogs and an Australian Football Hall of Famer, but has transitioned into a broadcast role with Fox Footy and is often seen providing expert analysis from the boundary during the network’s AFL coverage.
But a shock cancer diagnosis in early August threw his TV role into doubt, with Johnson sharing his story for the first time on the latest episode of the Howie Games podcast. The Bulldogs legend says he noticed a concerning lump after taking part in a game of bubble soccer for an episode of Fox Footy’s Bounce earlier in the year.
A cancer diagnosis and weeks of subsequent treatment didn’t stop AFL great Brad Johnson performing his broadcast duties with Fox Footy in 2025. Pic: Getty
“Afterwards I wasn’t sore at all, but just noticed my lat muscle was sticking out a bit more than normal,” he said on the podcast. “I didn’t really think much of it – I’m like, I’m not sore, I was in an enclosed position with the bubble soccer.
“So I thought maybe something minor had happened, a bit of swelling from a knock, and I’ll be fine. So I let it go for a week and nothing was changing… not sore at all, just pronounced.” Thanks to his connections with the Western Bulldogs, Johnson was able to call upon long-time club doctor Jake Landsberger to check it out.
The 364-game great was then instructed to go for an ultrasound “straight away”. He said: “I remember the young lady who took the ultrasound, she left the room and brought the more senior doctor in and basically said to me there’s a good size lump in there. It’s about 11 or 12 centimetres.”
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Johnson was referred to a number of different medical experts before meeting with surgeon Dr Gerard Powell, who told the 49-year-old he had a liposarcoma – a rare cancer starting in fat cells that has varying survival rates. After informing his colleagues at Fox Footy about the shock diagnosis, Johnson was offered all the time off he needed by the pay-per-view TV network.
Brad Johnson continued TV role during cancer treatment
He even warned AFL great and Fox Footy colleague Dunstall in August that “you may need to replace me on the boundary on Thursday night”. But despite an extensive treatment period that included five and a half weeks of radiation, Johnson powered through his broadcast duties with the same energy that has made him one of the AFL world’s most popular commentators.
The 49-year-old was only absent on the Fox Footy broadcasts for a couple of weeks during the season when he was unable to fly, such is his dedication to the craft and love of the game. And Johnson revealed that his “footy sense” helped get him through the ordeal, following the meeting with his surgeon.
Brad Johnson (centre) pushed through his broadcast duties with Fox Footy despite undergoing cancer treatment in 2025. Pic: Getty
“He was brilliant, a calm man, seriously calm, seriously positive guy. Made me feel from the outset that we’re going to get this. ‘You follow me,’” he said. “Basically as soon as I walked in, ‘I’m your coach, these are the steps you’re going to take, you’re going to follow your coach’. Turned it into a footy sense straight away.”
Around one month after the radiation was completed, Johnson was able to go in for surgery to have the cancer removed. “It grew quick, and thank God it exposed itself in that way so I was able to get on top of it – a bit of luck, in some ways,” he added.
Johnson is now on the mend and hopes that by sharing his story, it will spread awareness for others that might find themselves in a similar situation. “I know there’s still a little bit of work to do over the next couple of years,” he admitted. “But ultimately, I’ve been through a process, let’s talk about it, let’s open it up so people can get some positive reinforcements themselves.”