Actor

Steve Gleason

Born 1977 · Spokane, Washington, USA

Stephen Michael Gleason (born March 19, 1977) is a former professional American football player who played as a safety with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Originally signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2000, he played for the Saints through the 2007 season. As a free agent in 2008, Gleason retired from the NFL after eight seasons. Gleason is particularly known for his block of a punt early in a 2006 game, which became a symbol of recovery in New Orleans in the team's first home game after Hurricane Katrina. In 2011, Gleason revealed that he was battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). His experiences while living with the disease were captured on video over the course of a five-year period and featured in the 2016 documentary Gleason. In 2019, Gleason was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to ALS awareness.