At the peak of his career, Michael Strahan was a monster to NFL offenses. Every time he lined up on the D-line, QBs were bound to face the wrath of an oncoming predator. Give him an opening, and Strahan ensured you dearly paid for it. Now, times have changed, and roles have evolved. Strahan is 53 and hasn’t been near a gridiron for almost two decades now. Nowadays, he spends most of his time on Good Morning America as their star host. Those days of relentless grinding on the gridiron are over for the Giants Hall of Famer. Instead, these days, Strahan’s lethargy is catching up to the once-quickest defensive end in the NFL.

On Wednesday, GMA kicked off its first-ever 5k fun run event. It’s basically a chance for GMA viewers to come together for running, walking, and moving across the nation. At 7:45 a.m., over 500 runners from Florida, Texas, Hawaii, California, and Illinois gathered on Governors Island in New York. Goal? To finish a 5k run with a memorable prize waiting at the finish line. Those who stay till the end will get to watch the indie band The 502s perform live.

To be honest, this run hosted by GMA ain’t a challenge for those who are competing. It serves a much bigger purpose than just running. Throughout the broadcast, GMA will be partnering with certain groups of people to break down barriers. For All Mothers—focusing solely on mothers. And Achilles International—supporting people with disabilities. Strahan’s co-anchors Robin Roberts and Ginger Zee also spoke about the importance of this event.

“Walking, jogging—it doesn’t matter. Because at the end, you’ve all achieved this goal together,” Zee said to Health magazine. While Roberts added, “Just get off the sidelines. Run with us.” So, you might be wondering what Strahan’s role is in this landmark event by GMA. Well, Strahan announced he will be a “hype boy” from the studio while hundreds joined GMA’s first-ever 5k run. Robin is 64, while Zee is 44. They didn’t have any issue when it came to participating in the 5k run. But Strahan preferred sitting in the GMA studio instead of being a part of the event.

Actually, this ain’t the first time Strahan refused the idea of doing something that asked for a great deal of physical toll. In the previous episode of GMA, Strahan refused a chance at a $295,000 paycheck just because he favored his health more.

Michael Strahan rejects a gig on a show where he was once a judge

Back in 2023, Strahan served as a guest judge on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. And ever since he brought his spirited personality to the show’s judging panel, Strahan has left a lasting mark. So, the moment DWTS co-host Alfonso Ribeiro sat face to face with Strahan, he made a hard pitch to lure him back to his show. But this time not as a judge—instead as a dancer. “I think of there was a guy, if he played for the Giants at one in his life, cause you know he’d bring the whole New York audience, right?” Ribeiro said. Upon hearing Ribeiro’s intention, Strahan leapt to his feet and showed him some moves.

This made Ribeiro more desperate as he pleaded, “We need you, buddy. We need you.” But Strahan refused to budge. He implied that one reason he won’t wear dancing boots ever. “Every professional football player and athlete who’s been on the show said it’s the hardest thing they’d ever done. If it was harder than football was for me. I cannot fathom it at this point in my life.” Strahan even added that his bones are now too old and brittle for dancing.

However, Ribeiro didn’t stop trying anyway. He promised Strahan a tall dancer so that things wouldn’t get awkward. Given that Strahan stands at 6 ft 5 in, he definitely would have towered over his dancing companion. But anyway, he didn’t want to dance at 53. He instead preferred interviewing the contestants rather than jumping on the stage himself. “You know what I love about Dancing with the Stars, when they come here and I just get to interview them and I don’t have to dance.”

So, just like that, Strahan let go of the opportunity to win $295,000 given to the top contestant. No.92 instead chose his GMA studio over showing his grooves on the dancing floor.