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Those in attendance at the NFL Draft love to boo Roger Goodell. So this year, the commissioner invited some former players to represent each team and announce their picks in the second and third rounds. Representing the New Orleans Saints for their third round pick?
Steve Gleason.
The former WSU linebacker and New Orleans safety continues to fight the effects of ALS, but as he showed again on Friday, he refuses to let it stop him from doing things he wants to do. At the draft, Gleason used his speech software to read the Saints' selection of Terron Armstead, an offensive tackle from Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Gleason rolled out on stage in his wheelchair, and after his name was announced in Radio City Music Hall, he received a standing ovation from all in attendance. Unofficially, that's one more standing ovation than Goodell has ever gotten from the NFL Draft audience.
The irony, of course, is that it was the first time Gleason's name was announced at the NFL Draft, as he went undrafted in 2000.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Draft day is a celebrated day in the NFL. We should have an 'un-draft' day.Celebrate those of us who got picked in the '8th' round.-SG</p>— team gleason (@team_gleason) <a href="https://twitter.com/team_gleason/status/327505757992013824">April 25, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Its probably good that I wasn't drafted in 2000. I probably would have dodged it anyway. <a href="https://twitter.com/search/%23ConscientiousnessObjector">#ConscientiousnessObjector</a>-SG</p>— team gleason (@team_gleason) <a href="https://twitter.com/team_gleason/status/327936617618747392">April 27, 2013</a></blockquote>
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You can watch the video here, and read more about Gleason's fight with ALS here.
Oh, and if you're wondering what Gleason was up to before the draft ... oh, you know, just climbing Machu Picchu.
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/64781849" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe> <p><a href="http://vimeo.com/64781849">Team Gleason Experiment: Machu Picchu (#GoPro)</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user12339561">Team Gleason</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>