Ex-Saint Gleason to receive congressional honor Jan. 15

Former New Orleans Saints defensive back Steve Gleason will become the first NFL player ever to receive the Congressional Gold Medal when he is honored Jan. 15 during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. Gleason, 42, has created a multimillion-dollar charitable organization for people with Lou Gehrig's disease since he was diagnosed with the paralyzing condition in 2011, five years after his seven-year NFL career ended.

Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a degenerative neuro-muscular condition that has left Gleason paralyzed. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor awarded by Congress. President Donald Trump last year signed legislation awarding Gleason the medal. On Friday, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) announced the date of the ceremony in a news release.

"Steve Gleason has shown tremendous courage and resolves in the face of ALS," Cassidy said. "He has remained positive in the face of extreme adversity, inspiring all who hear his story. Steve deserves this medal, and I look forward to his presentation ceremony." According to the release, Gleason's charitable organization, Team Gleason, has provided almost $10 million in adventure, technology, equipment, and care services to more than 15,000 people living with ALS.

Gleason's struggle with ALS was documented in the 2016 film "Gleason." Gleason, who spent his entire career with the Saints, becomes the most recent athlete to receive the Congressional Gold Medal. Others include golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer, Olympic track star Jesse Owens and baseball player Jackie Robinson.

Gleason rose to Saints icon status after blocking a key punt against Atlanta on Monday Night Football in September 2006 in his team's first game back in the rebuilt Superdome after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Crescent City the previous year. The blocked punt was so important in the Saints' history and the area's recovery from the hurricane that it was immortalized in a 9-foot statue, called "Rebirth," outside the Superdome.

According to the news release, Gleason worked with the Congressional Gold Medal Committee on the medal's design, which features him in his Saints jersey and honors his native state, Washington, with solemn images of a mountain and alpine forest. 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)