SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane-native and WSU football alum Steve Gleason has announced that he has been discharged from the hospital after several days. This was the first time he had been admitted to the ER in 3-4 years.
Gleason has been battling ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) since 2011. In his post, Gleason said he hasn't been in the hospital for more than a few hours in five years.
The former WSU linebacker said he's had relentless hiccups for 5-6 days and that health officials think it may be developing early signs of pneumonia.
Born and raised in Spokane, Gleason earned consecutive defensive MVP awards as a linebacker while attending school at Gonzaga Prep. Following his graduation in 1995, he accepted a scholarship to play college football at WSU. In 1997, Gleason served as starting linebacker for the Coug team that advanced to the Rose Bowl.
Gleason's athletic accomplishments weren't only limited to football during his time at WSU. He was a four-year starter at center field for the WSU baseball team and holds the school record for most triples.
After college, Gleason began his NFL career with the New Orleans Saints, where he helped lead the team to one of their most successful seasons in 2006.
In 2011, Gleason revealed he was diagnosed with ALS. In 2021, his story was told in the ESPN Father's Day special, A Father's Resilience.
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