View full sizeWith Saints Will Smith (91) and Drew Brees looking on, former Saint Steve Gleason accepted the roars of the New Orleans fans at the Superdome on Sept. 25. Gleason has announced that he has been stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former New Orleans Saints special teamer Steve Gleason is a hero to his team's fans. His blocked punt for a touchdown in a 2006 game is considered the franchise's single most important play because it ignited the turnaround that climaxed in the Super Bowl championship following the 2009 season.
Now Gleason, 34, is cast as a hero off the field. In January, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a rare terminal condition commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. ALS damages the nerves that control voluntary muscle movement.
Gleason and his expectant wife formed a support group named Team Gleason to raise funds and create awareness of ALS.
According to researchers from Boston University, Gleason is the 27th former NFL player identified with the disease.
Gleason retired a year before the Saints won the Super Bowl. The team presented him a Super Bowl ring in pre-game ceremonies on Sept. 25. The next day, about 100 friends came from as far away as Hawaii to honor Gleason and his family at a private party in a New Orleans restaurant. Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, one of Gleason's best friends, was in attendance.
The kickoff
- The
- One personal note: Contrary to local sports talk radio, I never “reported” Hillis demanded to be traded. I merely opined that given the comments made by agent
- I don’t believe the Browns should or will trade Hillis. He means too much to this team right now and to its fan base. He rescued the team last year from absolute offensive ineptness. He fits nicely in the West Coast scheme. A trade makes no sense.
- So how does it play out? The Browns and McGuire are in constant contact. President
- If a deal isn’t done before the end of the season, though, I could see this impasse resulting in Hillis leaving in free agency in March.
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North nuggets
- Ravens running back
- Bengals defensive coordinator
- It’s possible the Steelers will have their third starting left tackle and third left guard in five games. ... The Steelers had 35 takeways on defense last year. Through four games this season, they have one.
Stat of the week
- Since the start of the 12-team playoff format in 1990, only one team has made the playoffs after an 0-4 start (San Diego, 1992).
"The most poignant thing he said was, 'It's not about the ring, not about the play. It's about what you do after stepping out of this room,'" Fujita said. "The second most poignant thing was when he said, 'ALS has [messed] with the wrong guy.' That was pretty awesome."
Gleason's diagnosis comes at a time of increased awareness in the NFL of the long-term effects of concussions. According to Dr. Vernon Williams, medical director of the Kerlan-Jobe Center for Sports Neurology in Los Angeles, there is no direct link between concussions and ALS or other motor neuron diseases.
"The biggest thing is there does seem to be some association between the two," Dr. Williams said in an interview. "There is an increased risk of ALS in people who have a history of head trauma. That's been seen in studies of just people in general, that they have a higher risk of ALS compares to those who don't have a history of head trauma.
"There's also been some work in the last year or so looking at an increased risk of ALS-like symptoms in retired NFL players who've had history of head trauma. So there is evidence to suggest an association between the two -- head injury and ALS. What there isn't is a lot of good, clean evidence that one causes the other. That's the distinction."
More research could bridge the gap that currently exists. Gleason's very public battle could help bring awareness to an issue in the NFL that was hidden for decades. Former Browns Pro Football Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and vascual dementia in 2007. He died 18 months later.
One of the player breakthroughs in the most recent collective bargaining agreement was to have a player's "causation requirement" lifted for permanent disability benefits.
"Before that, he wouldn't have been able to qualify," said Fujita, who has been extremely active as an officer in the NFL Players Association to improving health benefits.
Fujita said Gleason has no regrets about playing professional football, despite the increased risk to the disease that now claims him.
"Whether or not it had something to do with his condition, he's not worried about that," Fujita said. "Right now, it's about enjoying he things that he likes to do, bringing others along for the ride, and trying to have a message about perspective, having fun, doing the right things, enjoying what you do.
"The whole [dispute] with the league, he can leave that to me. In time, it'll get addressed."
On Twitter: @TonyGrossi