The U.S. House of Representatives gave unanimous approval of legislation S. 2652, which will give former New Orleans Saints player, Steve Gleason, a Congressional Gold Medal.
Gleason played for the Saints from 2000-2006 and is most known for his punt block against the Atlanta Falcons during the reopening of the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. The block led to a win and symbolized not only the rebirth of the franchise (that would later go on to win a Super Bowl), but also the rebirth of the city of New Orleans.
Steve Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in 2011 and started the Team Gleason organization that not only works to raise awareness for the disease, but helps provide assistance to those diagnosed with the disease, and seeks a cure. Gleason’s support of others, while battling the disease himself, has inspired many. The Gleason Initiative Foundation has worked to provide individuals with neuromuscular diseases with assistance such as speech-generating devices.
Gleason joins previous Congressional Gold Medal recipients like Orville and Wilbur Wright, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Roberto Clemente, John Wayne, the 1980 U.S. Summer Olympic Team, Joe Louis, Frank Sinatra, Mother Teresa, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many more.
