Water Cooler 4/14/2018 – Open Thread – Bipartisanship isn't always bad

I was born and raised in New Orleans. Maybe you feel the same about where you are from, but New Orleans gets in your blood. Here’s a cool story about a great guy that came out Thursday.

Who is Steve Gleason?

That’s a question you won’t hear from anyone who’s lived in New Orleans for any amount of time. He was already popular, but he became a legend by blocking a punt against the hated rival Atlanta Falcons in the Saints first game back in the Superdome after Katrina. He later retired and was living the good life with his new wife.

Oh okay – what’s the point?

They’d only been married about 18 months when at about the same time they learned she was pregnant, they also learned he had ALS, aka Lou Gehrig Disease. His work since then has made him a real-life hero, not just a football hero.

Conservatives and liberals in Louisiana and in Washington state (he was a Washington State Cougar) have begun a push to award him the Congressional Gold Medal. It’s worth ten minutes to watch the two videos in this SI piece about it.

He kept his keen sense of humor

Ten years after the game that made him famous. He visited with Cooper Manning, aka Peyton’s and Eli’s brother. His humor and positive attitude are both fully on display here.

His tweet after the last-second playoff loss to the Vikings

If you were watching any NFL playoffs this winter, you saw the incredible ending of the Saints-Vikings game. It sucked! Words like “devastating” and “heartbreaking” are understatements. Steve Gleason’s wit on Twitter is well-known. His take ….

Congratulations to the Vikings. I’m so in shock I can’t move.
-SG

— Steve Gleason (@TeamGleason) January 15, 2018

His reaction to the potential Congressional Gold Medal

True story. I saw all these Congressional Medal tweets this morning, and then s*it the bed. Literally. #AwesomeAintEasy
-SG
https://t.co/EvtBUdo3TI

— Steve Gleason (@TeamGleason) April 13, 2018