Steve Gleason may always be remembered most for his blocked punt on the night the Louisiana Superdome reopened for the first time after Hurricane Katrina -- a play that stirred an already emotional crowd into a deafening, drink-spilling frenzy. The retired New Orleans Saints folk hero only hopes he can continue to lift people's spirits by the way he handles what until now has been a private struggle with ALS, a debilitating and ultimately fatal disease for which there currently is no cure. On Sunday, five years to the day after his memorable play became a symbol of a devastated community's will to carry on, Gleason, 34, went public with his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. "In a way, I see this as an opportunity to continue to be an inspiration, maybe even more so than I ever have been," said Gleason, a 5-foot-11, former Washington State standout who forged an eight-year NFL career in New Orleans as a special teams leader and reserve safety. Read more: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7...ormerly-new-orleans-saints-lou-gehrig-disease
