Steve Gleason Reflects on 15-Year ALS Fight as Saints Honor 20th Anniversary Punt Block
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Oct 5
Steve Gleason Reflects on 15-Year ALS Fight as Saints Honor 20th Anniversary Punt Block
3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Oct 5
Summary
Steve Gleason said his 15-year fight with ALS has left him unable to move, talk or breathe on his own, yet he called his life “miraculous” ahead of Monday night’s Saints-Falcons game.
Monday’s Superdome ceremony will honor Gleason and Curtis Deloatch as “Legends of the Game” for the blocked-punt touchdown in the Saints’ 23-3 win over Atlanta on Sept. 25, 2006.
Gleason said that play became a lifeline after his 2011 diagnosis, giving visibility to Team Gleason, the nonprofit he founded to support people living with ALS.
The Saints are also making Team Gleason the beneficiary of the game’s 50/50 raffle, while the NFL said it will donate $500,000 to Answer ALS research on football players and other high-performance groups.
The tribute comes on the 20th anniversary of the Saints’ return to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina, linking one of New Orleans’ defining sports moments to Gleason’s long public battle with ALS.