The battle against ALS has claimed another massive star, as former NFL Pro Bowler and Minnesota Vikings legend Orlando Thomas is dead at he age of 42.
Orlando Thomas was one of the best defensive backs of the 1990s, as he was a Pro Bowler with the Minnesota Vikings and led the league in interceptions in 1995. When the Minnesota Vikings went to the NFC Championship game in 1998, Thomas was right there at the forefront of it all, becoming a fan favorite and a guy the defense could always rely on.
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Little did Orlando Thomas know that just 15 years later he would be dead. Orlando Thomas died on Monday morning after battling ALS for the last six years of his life. He was officially diagnosed with the disease back in 2007 but battled it bravely ever since then, succumbing to the disease after so many years of fighting.
"Orlando’s agent Mark Bartelstein issued a statement saying … “Nobody’s ever fought a battle like Orlando fought, with so much dignity — I never saw anything like it. It’s just incredible.”Bartelstein added, “He never had a sense of self pity, never felt sorry for himself, he was always worried about everyone else. He was just the most incredible person I’ve ever been around.”"
Thomas is just one of a number of former NFL players battling ALS, with Steve Gleason being the most prominent name. ALS and CTE are being linked more and more with each passing day of research, as stars like Junior Seau and Dave Duerson having killed themselves rather than suffer anymore from the disease.
It’s a battle that millions of non-NFL players fight everyday as ALS is one of the most devastating diseases out there, and one that leaves even the mightiest of titans nothing more than helpless.
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