Gleason

All right, let's talk a little bit more about you.

You-- Right there.

That's where you're gonna be in, like, six weeks.

Um....

My number-one focus of purpose is to share with you who I am...

...and to...

...give you as much of myself as I possibly can while I can.

And I'm excited. I'm excited.

I want you to come sooner than later so I can still hold you-- Unh!

Hold you and-- You in my hands and my arms.

And use all that stuff--

Just--

Just love you.

The 6th of October, 2001.

We're heading down to the OSU-Washington State game...

- ...where the game is sold out. Homecoming.

Homecoming. Another beautiful day...

...in Spokane, Washington.

Oh, it's a great day.

Cougs are favored by 10.

Steve doesn't like it. I like it.

Oh, man, it's a beautiful time.

It's a beautiful time for the Cougs.

Steve Gleason has...

...what every college football coach is looking for in a linebacker.

Really, really fast.

Really, really aggressive.

He's small, but no one can deny Steve Gleason's ability to hit.

I think that playing football, you know, is a great time for...

...every guy to get out there, you know...

...and let out your aggression and just kind of be a free spirit.

Cougar football at its best. Gleason and me. Two legends.

He pass blocks, you take a step back.

He run blocks, bam, you're in there.

For the average college linebacker, he was too small.

And he was way too small for the NFL to play linebacker.

He had to work harder, run harder, train harder...

...just so he could be the guy that was gonna be on that 53-man roster.

I'd never seen a guy cover kicks the way he does.

It takes a certain type of psyche and mindset to do that.

It's actually kind of a crazy, sort of loose cannon...

..."this guy's obviously got a few screws loose" type of mindset.

And that's what made him so good.

McKENZIE: I consider Steve a real kamikaze of sorts, you know...

...notorious for sticking his head in there...

...totally giving up his body, tough.

There are reports from New Orleans...

...of people trapped in buildings...

...that have come down around them.

The Superdome became a symbol of failure and despair.

Twenty thousand refugees lived here for one miserable week...

...without power, water or sanitation.

A beautiful day and an unbelievable scene...

...here inside the Louisiana Superdome.

Who are we? Saints!

Are we ready?

This is New Orleans!

A moment almost unimaginable 13 months ago is here.

Look out! Right through!

A pickoff by Steve Gleason!

And it's scooped, and score by Curtis DeLoatch!

Touchdown! New Orleans!

And for those people who look to the New Orleans Saints...

...as something that will uplift them, uplift this city...

...uplift the entire Gulf Region, they've just had it!

That night, and specifically Steve blocking the punt...

...was like a signal to everybody that not only is New Orleans back...

...but it just felt like the rebirth of something really, really big.

Can you effing believe that?

All right, we need another performance.

I want to teach you how to hold the camera.

- Okay. - Yeah?

- How's that? - Fine.

- Are you there? I'm here.

You don't like to talk behind the camera?

I'm a filmer, I'm not a subject.

Yeah, but a good filmer...

...asks really good questions to get really good material.

Are you almost done?

Good question.

When I first got to know him, he plays--

He had long hair and played for the NFL.

I thought he was gonna be a complete cheeseball.

But when I met him, he was perfect.

I thought he was the greatest thing I've ever met.

He lived in a small house and didn't have a TV...

...and drove a truck and was different than Southern boys...

...and he loved to, like, adventure travel.

I liked to travel at the time too.

He was this superhero athlete but also super smart.

He was the best of both worlds, let's say.

With the kind of person that Steve is...

...he was attracted to the free spirit of Michel.

The kind of honest bluntness, willing to try anything...

...really no airs about her.

[PEOPLE CHEERING AND CLAPPING]

I don't know, you can never think of Michel settling down.

She was always the life of the party.

She was always having fun.

Is Michel really gonna settle down?

Is Michel gonna have kids? No way. That's not gonna happen.

No, you gotta try again.

Watch your hands.

As unique as Steve is, Michel is equally as unique...

...and I think she was still trying to find herself...

...and didn't know where she was going.

And I think when she met Steve, they just started clicking.

And I think it's such an amazing thing...

...that both of you said to me yesterday.

Even if it's pouring rain, it doesn't matter.

We have each other.

Our family and friends are gonna be here.

And isn't that, really, as all us married people know...

...it's how we act, not when things are great--

It's easy to be loving to each other when things are great.

But how do we act as a couple together...

...when things aren't great?

When things are difficult?

[ALL CHEERING AND CLAPPING]

Bye!

Now I guess we could say you're officially a New Orleanean.

You married a local girl, you live in a historic neighborhood.

Are you a New Orleanean?

It's a city that I love.

I'm very thankful for all that has come to me through this city.

Is it okay with you, the fact that you're kind of...

...synonymous for one play?

You played nine years in the NFL.

You were on the Saints team that won the first-ever playoff game.

Look, if you gotta pick one thing...

...that you're gonna be known for, that is fine with me.

And before we go, I wanted Steve to wear...

...his Number 37 jersey for this segment...

...but he just said he won't put it on.

I wear my jersey on the field.

Those days are done.

So I've been having some strange medical issues...

...going on with me recently. Um....

I've been having some muscle twitching in my arms.

Mostly my upper arms, shoulders on both sides.

And some in my chest...

...in my back, a little bit in my upper legs.

I then also talked to my naturopath...

...and he seemed a little bit concerned about it.

He spoke about these types of symptoms on three levels.

It could be some type of molecular problem...

...or it could be some type of mechanical problem...

...meaning my neck or my head have some type of trauma.

I might have a bulging disc or a ruptured disc...

...or calcification in my vertebrae...

...from all my football trauma.

Thirdly, it could be some type of neurological disease.

The disease that he mentioned as--

Obviously the worst-case scenario would be ALS...

...which is Lou Gehrig's disease.

I have been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis...

...which is a disease in the motor neurons.

And this disease is almost always fatal.

My first reaction was kind of frustration or anger...

...at the doctor for saying it.

And I just was like, there's no-- There's no way.

He's telling me this, but I don't necessarily believe what he's saying.

Although this is part of the challenge...

...like, yeah, I wanna beat ALS...

...I want to win that part of the game...

...but for me, the biggest part of the game is...

...beating all the other shit that you and I have talked about is...

...karma from our parents...

...or relationships with family...

...or relationships with friends...

...or your own spirituality...

...and just peace in your heart.

But I just think there's a bigger battle there...

...about being able to say:

"Okay, I have been-- Have this diagnosis...

...and it's not gonna-- It's not gonna crush my life...

...even if it does crush, you know, crush my body."

I think you look really cute today.

I haven't smelled you, but you look really cute.

I wish I could zoom in on that.

Damn.

Is it hard not to tell? Especially if he's real hung?

I know it's a boy.

And I know it's a girl.

- But I know more. Yeah, right.

Before this, we wanted a baby...

...and after this, just because it meant that...

...I'd have to help take care of him.