Steve Gleason was the focal point on Monday as the New Orleans Saints commemorated a significant moment in the franchise's history. The former safety led a procession through downtown New Orleans ahead of a 'Domecoming' celebration marking 20 years since the Saints returned to the Superdome following Hurricane Katrina. Gleason's blocked punt at the start of that game is a notable event in NFL history.
'When I roll back into that stadium, I will not only be visiting a monument to 2006, I will be walking into a mirror, a place that learned how to rise,' Gleason stated in an interview with 'Good Morning America' before the Saints lost 45-24 to the Atlanta Falcons on 'Monday Night Football.'
Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, is unable to move, talk, or breathe independently and communicates using his eyes through a tablet. According to the ALS Association, approximately 10% of individuals diagnosed with ALS survive for 10 or more years. Gleason, now 49, has utilized his time to establish Team Gleason, a charity that has raised over $65 million to enhance the lives of individuals living with ALS and their caregivers through technology, equipment, and empowerment.
'If I do not block that punt, I am another former special teams player, a has-been football guy,' Gleason remarked. 'When the ALS came, I probably fade away quietly and die anonymously. That play made me visible at the exact moment this city needed a symbol. Years later, that visibility became a lifeline.'
A blocked punt in Week 3 is typically not remembered for long, but for a city still recovering from a hurricane that resulted in 1,300 fatalities, the play and subsequent touchdown return—less than two minutes into the game—represented a 'Rebirth,' a term still used today.
Twenty years later, Gleason acknowledges that the hope he provided to New Orleans in that moment has been reciprocated many times over the years. 'The truth I have to live with is this: The same play that helped New Orleans breathe again is a big reason I’m still breathing now,' Gleason added.