Former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason, diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2011, has now lived with the disease for 15 years. As the Saints marked 20 years since his famous blocked punt in the first Superdome game after Hurricane Katrina, the NFL announced a $500,000 donation to Answer ALS' Champion Insights program, which investigates ALS in pro football players, other high-performance athletes, and military veterans and first responders, Good Morning America reported Monday, October 5, 2026.
Gleason cannot move, speak, or breathe on his own. "I'm still here. That still surprises some people," he told ABC's Robin Roberts, in words he builds letter by letter on an eye-controlled tablet.
