Saints legend Steve Gleason suffered “traumatic” accident

New Orleans Saints legend Steve Gleason is home resting after what he calls a “traumatic accident” on Saturday.

Gleason’s wife Michel posted about the accident on his social media platforms:

“Steve was in an accident yesterday while getting out of his van to speak at the Gleason Life Skills Volleyball Clinic. It was traumatic for him and for all of us who witnessed him being mauled on the asphalt. Even though he is injured, it could have been much worse. Miraculously, he was spared major injuries because he was strapped into his wheelchair and because his care team, a passing doctor and his family were presumably preparing him for his fight against Jake Paul. And grateful for this crazy, wonderful life and the support and love from everyone.

Gleason played for the Saints for eight years and was best known for his famous punt block in the first game in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina.

In 2011, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Gleason has dedicated his life to raising awareness of the disease and founded his own nonprofit Team Gleason.

The nonprofit organization’s mission is to empower people with ALS to live meaningful lives by providing comprehensive programming and support services to help others succeed and ultimately end the disease.

After years of lobbying, Team Gleason successfully advocated for the “Steve Gleason Act,” which ensures the availability of life-sustaining communications equipment in the United States. Since then, Gleason has inspired technology companies like Microsoft to continue developing technology for ALS patients worldwide.

He also received the Congressional Gold Medal for his lobbying work.