Gleason was awarded the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage Thursday night.
Last night, former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason was presented the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the 2024 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. He was introduced by his friend and former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, which was followed by a video story of Gleason’s journey since being diagnosed with ALS in 2011. Gleason and his son, Rivers were then presented the award. What came after was nearly 4 minutes of a moving and inspiration speech by Gleason, proving exactly why he was receiving this prestigious award.
Steve Gleason honored at the ESPYs with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, introduced by Drew Brees pic.twitter.com/4YAJ1ZcgZk
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Here is the full transcript of Steve Gleason’s speech:
“Thanks Drew. I love you. Hi, there, everyone. Hi, Gray, and Momma and thanks for your help, Rivers. This award, the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage, is a sublime honor for me and I always love the opportunity to wear my tuxedo.
Arthur Ashe exemplified courage as living with an open heart of humility, kindness, and generosity, which united humanity. So, to receive this award is amazing. When I learned I was receiving this award, I started reflecting on what that word “courage” means.
To be courageous, we must first experience loneliness, unworthiness, or any of the faces of fear. I was told I would have 3 years to live when I was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, so I’ve got the wilderness of fear tattooed all over me. For me, this honor represents some encouragement and triumph for the families currently living with ALS, all the people living with disabilities or other illnesses, and all of you who experience fear or suffering.
I suppose if you have never experienced fear, isolation, or suffering, you can roll your sanctified ass right out of here. The truth is, no human is immune from fear or adversity. Not even super athletes, royal princes, or the most holy saints. Considering this truth of our humanity, it’s vital that we all, individually and collectively, discover ways to be courageous and love the life we have.
My view is that the fears and adversities we encounter are our opportunity to accept what is and explore what is on the other side of fear, to grow stronger, better, and have peace of mind. From this perspective, resiliently moving through the adversities that life brings us is our purpose in being human. It’s clear to me that our ability to courageously share our vulnerabilities with each other is our greatest strength. By doing this, we’re able to understand the issue, compassionately collaborate with each other to solve problems, and overcome fear. Without the understanding and compassionate support from my family, community, and caregivers, I’d have been dead years ago.
Through this lens, you can see we’re all in this together. We are all citizens of the world.
Given our interconnectedness, the greatest aspect of our human purpose is to generously help, serve, and love others. Do we have the courage to unconditionally love our neighbors, our so-called enemies, and love ourselves? I don’t think anyone will disagree that we face enormous challenges in the 21st century. If we can courageously share our fears and limitations with each other and compassionately collaborate to solve problems, our human potential is boundless. If we can listen, understand, and help alleviate each other’s suffering, then truly, all things are possible.”
After his speech, Gleason received a standing ovation, which ended with “Thank you again, for this incredible honor. I love ya’ll.”
Thank you, Steve Gleason, for your unwavering courage and inspiring us all.