Anyone who watched it on September 25, 2006, will tell you that they can still clearly recall where they were. Superdome in Louisiana. For the first time since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and transformed that stadium into something more akin to a disaster shelter than a sporting venue, the New Orleans Saints are returning home.
Steve Gleason, a safety from New Orleans, ran through a gap and stopped an Atlanta Falcons punt less than ninety seconds into the game. It sounded more like a city exhaling than a sporting event as the crowd erupted. That one block would ultimately mean much more than a football play, even though no one realized it at the time.
Gleason played for the Saints for eight seasons, primarily as a special teams player, a position that rarely makes headlines. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts after being undrafted from Washington State, but the Colts let him go before the Saints signed him. Not precisely the path that results in statues outside of stadiums. And yet, there it is: a bronze statue of Gleason raised outside the Superdome in 2012, arm outstretched and immobile in that blocked punt.
Gleason received a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in January 2011. His age was thirty-four. Six weeks later, his wife Michel found out she was expecting. As Gleason would say, the timing was extremely accurate. The nerve cells that regulate voluntary movement are destroyed by ALS, a progressive illness. strolling. Talking. Inhaling. The body gradually turns into a locked room. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke states unequivocally that there is currently no known treatment that can halt or reverse the disease’s progression, although there are treatments that can slow things down a little.
What’s amazing is what he did with that information, and this is where Gleason’s story becomes more than just challenging. In the same year, he established Team Gleason, a nonprofit organization that supports and advocates for individuals with ALS. Raising funds for technology and research, the organization has grown to become one of the nation’s most well-known ALS advocacy groups. It’s difficult to ignore the fact that the man who lost his voice due to the illness is now louder than before.
It has been years since Gleason last spoke. That was taken away from him by ALS, as everything is eventually taken away. His voice was cloned from old recordings by CereProc, a Scottish speech synthesis company, so he could still be heard. He now uses eye-tracking technology, a special tablet that converts his eye movements into words, one letter at a time. In order for the device to function, his kids adorn the eye tape that keeps his eyebrows in place. When you sit with that detail for a moment, it lands differently.
In an interview with ABC News’ Robin Roberts prior to a Monday Night game commemorating the 20th anniversary of that iconic blocked punt, Gleason made a statement that defies the urge to simplify his narrative. “I am unable to breathe, move, or speak on my own. There are harsh days. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic, amazing life. He requires a ventilator to survive. Every breath is assisted by a machine. Additionally, he describes the sunrise as “wonderful” every morning. That could be interpreted as forced optimism or performance. When he says it, it doesn’t sound that way.
In that interview, Gleason also made a somewhat shocking observation: the play that made him visible, the blocked punt, was most likely the reason he is still alive. In terms of platform, not literally. “I am another former special teams player, a has-been football guy, if I do not block that punt,” he declared. When ALS struck, the publicity that followed that moment in 2006 turned into a lifeline for Team Gleason’s funding, his public persona, and the advocacy work that keeps him going. He seems to be aware of the peculiar luck involved and handles it with caution.
Gleason was the first NFL player to win a Congressional Gold Medal in 2019 in recognition of his efforts to raise awareness of ALS. He was given the Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2024. These are not rewards for a life cut short. They acknowledge what he created during the interruption.
Gleason is still alive at 49 years old and 15 years into a disease that most people don’t live with for more than three to five years after being diagnosed. I’m still watching games. He continued to use his eyes to construct letters into sentences on a screen. Rivers and Gray are still being raised with Michel.
Although the exact reason why some ALS patients live longer than the statistics indicate is still unknown (researchers are currently examining outlier cases), Gleason appears to be fully aware that his survival is not solely biological. It appears that purpose is important. It is important to be visible. It seems to matter most that he is aware that the blocked punt made him a public figure and that he plans to use that for something.
Numerous accounts exist of athletes who, after their playing careers ended, turned into advocates. For the most part, they had an option. Really, Gleason didn’t. He had a play that took place in the perfect city, at the perfect time, and in front of the ideal audience. And later on, a sickness that might have killed him. The wrong man was selected.
FAQs
1. What illness does Steve Gleason have?
He was diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that destroys nerve cells controlling movement.
2. When was Steve Gleason diagnosed with ALS?
Gleason received his diagnosis in January 2011, at just 34 years old.
3. How does Steve Gleason communicate now that he has lost his voice?
He uses an eye-tracking tablet that builds words letter by letter.
4. What is Team Gleason?
It’s the nonprofit he founded in 2011 to support and advocate for ALS patients.
5. Why is Steve Gleason’s 2006 blocked punt considered so significant?
It became a symbol of New Orleans’ recovery after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.