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.
Gleason and his wife, Michel Rae Varisco, have a son, Rivers,[14] and a daughter, Gray.[15] Six weeks after receiving a diagnosis of ALS, the couple discovered they were expecting their first child.
Gleason, who lost his voice to ALS, had his voice cloned by CereProc, a Scottish speech synthesis company.[16]
Gleason collaborated with filmmaker Sean Pamphilon to produce a documentary on his battle with ALS that would double as a video journal for his infant son, Rivers.[17] The documentary film Gleason was shown during the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.[18]
Gleason was featured in an episode of the documentary series A Football Life that detailed his career in the NFL and battle with ALS. NFL Network aired the episode in late November 2013.[19][20] In April 2024, Knopf released Gleason's memoir A Life Impossible: Living with ALS: Finding Peace and Wisdom Within a Fragile Existence.
Awards and honors
In September 2011, Gleason was awarded a Super Bowl ring by the Saints.[21] At the same ceremony, he was awarded the key to the city of New Orleans by mayor Mitch Landrieu.[22] In July 2012, Rebirth, a statue depicting Gleason blocking the punt, was raised outside the Superdome.[23]
In 2015, Gleason was chosen to receive the 2015 George Halas Award from the Pro Football Writers Association.[24] He was presented the award at the Thursday Night Football game between the Saints and Falcons on October 15, 2015. Near the end of the first quarter, he watched as Saints linebacker Michael Mauti blocked a punt by Falcons punter Matt Bosher and returned it for a touchdown to give the Saints a 14–0 lead. Mauti, a New Orleans native and the son of former Saints player Rich Mauti, had attended the 2006 game where Gleason made his famous block.[25] The Saints went on to beat the Falcons, 31–21. After the blocked punt, Gleason tweeted: "Hey, Falcons. #NeverPunt -SG".[26]
In 2019, Gleason was awarded with a Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to ALS awareness,[27][28] and became the first NFL player to ever receive the award.[29] Gleason was presented with the award at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on January 15, 2020.[30] In 2024, he was awarded the Arthur Ashe Courage Award for his contributions to ALS awareness.[31]
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