In the annals of WWL’s 100-year history, there’s no doubt that one of the most memorable moments every broadcast on the station came on September 25, 2006, when the New Orleans Saints hosted the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football just a little over a year after Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath leveled the Crescent City.
After the pomp and circumstance of the pregame festivities, tied to the reopening of the Superdome, had subsided and the game got underway, the tension was palpable in the air. There was a crackle to the crowd as over 70,000 beleaguered New Orleanians waited for a reason to cheer.
Four plays into the game, Saints safety Steve Gleason gave them that reason.
Gleason blocked a Falcons punt that was then recovered in the end zone for a Saints touchdown, and an entire city, even if for just a moment, let the collective weight of recovery off their shoulders and cheered as one voice, both within the confines of the Superdome and outside of it.
Gleason joined Scoot on WWL Radio to reflect on that moment.
“There was so much emotion and passion in the Dome that night,” Gleason said. “The people of New Orleans had spent the previous 12 months being devastated and frustrated and angry. This was their chance to release all those emotions and to let the world know the city of New Orleans was back.”
Gleason was already a tenured member of the Saints at that point, and he said he knew what that moment meant, even when he was living it.
“Because I had been in New Orleans for the previous six seasons, at least to some degree, I understood the culture and mentality of New Orleans,” he said. “I was dating and would later marry into a New Orleans family. I also endured the chaos of the previous 13 months. As a result, the significance of the block, even in the moments immediately after the play, this was not lost on me. For me, the punt is a symbol of the commitment of the people in the region who chose to return and rebuild.
“This city and this region may have people sprinkled throughout it who are strong and resilient, but the ultimate form of resilience is community resilience, resilience as a nation, and most importantly as a human family, global resilience. I see that as the next phase of our global culture as we move forward into the depths of the 21st century.
“I see the people of this city as a great example for the world. Their commitment and strength was far greater than any of the players on the field. We were a representation of them. We, as players and as a team, were able to share that community resilience and commitment with the world.”
In the years since his retirement from the NFL, Gleason has become a beacon of hope for many as he has battled ALS.
“I turned 45 years old last week,” Gleason said. “I was told that I would be dead at 37, so I’m eight years past my expiration date. At this point, every day, every moment is a gift. With this perspective, I’m embracing the gift of life rather than fighting ALS. This doesn’t mean there aren’t impossibly difficult moments, but I have learned that these moments are my opportunity – my opportunity to expand my embrace of life, my opportunity to be more free.”
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