Steve Gleason, ex-NFLer, Forgives Radio Hosts Who Mocked His Disease
Steve Gleason, the former New Orleans Saints football player, accepted the apology of the Atlanta radio hosts who mocked him earlier this week. They mocked his disability- Gleason has diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a debilitating disease- but he says they helped put ALS in the spotlight.
Steve Gleason's forgiveness for the shock jocks' cruelty came in the form of a statement on the Facebook page of his organization, Team Gleason, which strives to raise funding and find a cure for the illness, which is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Gleason, who was diagnosed in 2011 after an eight-year stint with the Saints, thanked the public for their support.
"Regarding the DJ skit in Atlanta yesterday. I would like to thank the public for their support. 'Defend Team Gleason' now has been officially redefined. Additionally, the DJs have provided genuine apology. Received and accepted. We have all made mistakes in this life. How we learn from our mistakes is the measure of who we are," he wrote.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
"I think everyone can learn from this event. Its clear to me that, on a national & global scale, ALS is not understood, which is part of why its under funded and largely ignored," he continued. "In the past 36 hours lots of people have been talking. Lets talk about this... There are zero treatments for ALS. If you take any action as a result of this event, I prefer it to be action to end ALS. See what we are doing to change that @ teamgleason.org."
One of those quick to defend Gleason after the comments was O.J. Brigance, who is also a retired NFL player battling ALS. The former Baltimore Ravens linebacker is now a senior adviser to the team for player development and said the bit was "in very poor taste." However, he still gave glory to God and accepted the shock jocks' apology.
"All things work together for those who love God and are called to his purpose. I am extremely proud of what Steve and Team Gleason have done in the fight against ALS. Even in the face of controversy he brings awareness to our plight," he said in a statement to The Baltimore Sun.
The "Mayhem In The AM" hosts' cruel skit came Monday while they were discussing an article Gleason had guest written for Peter King's sports column. ALS prevents Gleason from speaking or moving, and the shock jocks had a prank caller call the show pretending to be Gleason and ask to be smothered.
After the insensitive skit, the three hosts, Nicki Cellini, Chris Dimino, and Steak Shapiro, were suspended, then fired. They also apologized and offered to donate to Team Gleason.
For more information on Team Gleason and how to donate to the battle against ALS, visit their website here.
