Twenty years after one blocked punt lifted an entire city, Steve Gleason was back on the Superdome turf. The former New Orleans Saints safety, who has lived with ALS for 15 years, was celebrated at the team’s 20th anniversary “Domecoming” game on October 5, 2026, and fans who remember his famous play have been searching for updates on how he’s doing now.
Keep reading to learn about his diagnosis, the family by his side and the new music he’s sharing with the world.
Steve was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, in 2011, a few years after he left the NFL. The progressive disease destroys the nerve cells that control movement, and today he lives on a ventilator, he shared in an interview with Good Morning America. Even so, his outlook remains full of heart. He told Robin Roberts:
“I get to love this life and the people in it.”
Steve founded Team Gleason in 2011, and the nonprofit provides technology, equipment and support to people living with ALS, according to ESPN. He even wrote his memoir, A Life Impossible, using eye-tracking technology, and his advocacy earned him the Congressional Gold Medal in January 2020.
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno presented Steve with a key to the city on October 5, 2026, honoring both the 20th anniversary of his blocked punt and 15 years of advocacy through Team Gleason, WWL-TV reported. That night, his son, Rivers, pushed his wheelchair onto the field alongside former teammate Curtis Deloatch for the crowd’s thunderous “Who Dat” chant.
Curtis is the teammate who scooped up the blocked ball in the end zone on September 25, 2006, when the Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons in their first game back at the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. The play lives on in “Rebirth,” a statue of Steve’s block that has stood outside the stadium since 2012. Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees was also on hand to celebrate his old teammate.
