Tim Shaw, former NFL linebacker with ALS: 'I'm not scared to die'
Former NFL linebacker and special teams player Tim Shaw said Tuesday that he has Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Shaw posted a video on the Tennessee Titans website revealing his diagnosis. Shaw, who played college football at Penn State, then participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge, which has been raising money and awareness for the disease. He challenged the Titans organization, James Franklin, the Penn State football team and his hometown of Clarenceville, Michigan to do the same.
The Titans answered his challenge after practice Wednesday. Shaw spoke to reporters afterwards and was emotional about the hard road he faces, according to The Tennessean.
"I would never say I am not afraid of anything,'' Shaw said. "… If you look at what ALS has done to people, that is a scary process. So I am not scared to die, but the process is a little daunting."
"As staggering as that news [of my diagnosis] was and as shocking as it was to hear and to say, I made that choice to stand up and live life to the fullest like I believe I always have."
More: Here's (nearly) everyone in sports who've done the Ice Bucket Challenge
Shaw was drafted in the fifth round by the Carolina Panthers in 2007. He spent time with them in 2007, the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2008, the Chicago Bears in 2009 and the Titans from 2010-12. He played in 80 career games and retired after he was cut by Tennessee prior to the beginning of last season.
- Scooby Axson
