NFL legend Steve Gleason shares heartbreaking update on ALS battle 20 years on from iconic blocked punt
NFL icon Steve Gleason has shared an emotional update on his battle with ALS on the 20th anniversary of his historic blocked punt for the New Orleans Saints.
The former Saints star has spent the past 15 years battling the disease, which affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, following a 2011 diagnosis.
On the field, Gleason is best known for blocking a punt which led to the Saints’ first touchdown at the Superdome in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Four years after playing his final NFL snap, Gleason was diagnosed with ALS.
On the 20th anniversary of the historic block, Gleason shared an emotional update on his condition, admitting he would ‘be dead’ if it wasn’t for that iconic play.
Speaking to WDSU, he said: ‘Our family, our friends, our caregivers, this city. They are my life. I won’t try to tell you what this anniversary means to each of them.
‘For me, it’s a reminder that I’m still here with them. Still a father. Still loving and being loved. I say this in my book, that if I didn’t block that punt, I’d be dead.
NFL icon Steve Gleason shared an emotional update on his battle with ALS on Friday afternoon
‘That moment connected my life to New Orleans in a way that I never could have planned. When the ALS came, this community showed up for us.
’20 years later, I feel that love. I’m grateful to be here for whatever comes next.’
The Saints also shared a clip of Gleason’s iconic block on Friday afternoon, claiming that it ‘signaled the rebirth of a city.’
Back in July, Gleason showed support for fellow ALS sufferer Chris Johnson with a ‘butt naked’ Ice Bucket Challenge.
Gleason was filmed doing the challenge alongside author Brian Jeansonne, who also has ALS, while sitting outdoors.
The pair were seen sitting in wheelchairs with towels draped over their laps, and for good reason.
‘For those wondering, yes, we are both butt a** naked and will be able to feel this,’ Jeansonne said through a computer. ‘But do not worry, we won’t flinch.’
After the buckets were poured over their heads, the towel briefly exposed Gleason before a family member rushed over to protect his modesty.
Gleason’s update came just days after NFL great Chris Johnson also spoke out on his battle with ALS after the former Tennessee Titans star turned 41 on Wednesday.
Interviewed from his wheelchair with the help of a speech-generating tablet controlled by his eyes, Johnson said the disease has robbed him of his physical autonomy, all while keeping his mind intact.
Gleason is best known for his time with the Saints before his ALS diagnosis in 2011
Steve Gleason (L) and friend Brian Jeansonne (R) did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
‘ALS has taken away a lot of my independence,’ he told People. ‘As a father, your first instinct is to protect your kids. You don’t want them to be scared or feel like their whole world is changing.’
Asked about the hardest part of his affliction, which he was diagnosed with in 2025 and revealed to ABC earlier this year, Johnson pointed to the mental anguish he’s endured.
‘Having your mind still completely there,’ he said, ‘while your body stops doing things you’ve done your entire life.
‘I still hear everything,’ he continued. ‘I understand everything. I still joke, think, make decisions, get frustrated and want to be included in conversations about my own life. ALS may change what my body can do, but it hasn’t changed who I am at my core.’
