NEW ORLEANS – Steve Gleason may always be remembered most for his blocked punt on the night the Louisiana Superdome reopened for the first time after Hurricane Katrina – a play that stirred an already emotional crowd into a deafening, drink-spilling frenzy. The retired New Orleans Saints folk hero who played at Gonzaga Prep and Washington State only hopes he can continue to lift people’s spirits by the way he handles what until now has been a private struggle with ALS, a debilitating and ultimately fatal disease for which there currently is no cure. On Sunday, five years to the day after his memorable play became a symbol of a devastated community’s will to carry on, Gleason, 34, went public with his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

A federal jury today convicted five current or former police officers in the deadly shootings on a New Orleans bridge after Hurricane Katrina.

NEW ORLEANS – In the first 10 minutes, Spokane scored a touchdown on special teams, offense and defense. New Orleans, meanwhile, needed nearly 40 minutes to score three touchdowns. Spokane built a huge lead early and cruised to a 75-54 win over the VooDoo at the New Orleans Arena on Saturday. The Shock’s third consecutive Arena Football League victory allowed them to keep pace with Utah in the race for the fourth and final National Conference playoff berth. Both teams are 7-7 and they’ll meet in the first AFL outdoor game July 9 at Albi Stadium.

When Kyle Rowley sprained the AC joint in his right (throwing) shoulder six weeks ago, some thought it could be a season-ending injury. Best-case scenarios had him returning late in the regular season. “The trainers have been great to get me back as quickly as possible,” Rowley said. “I’ve had a long career and from high school to now I usually take whatever they tell me and cut it in half or thirds. The initial prognosis was six to eight weeks. I even heard three months.

NBA: The Boston Celtics didn’t play four of their usual starters, essentially setting aside their bid for a better playoff seed for the chance to give their top players some rest, and the result was a 95-94 overtime loss to the Wizards on Monday night in Washington that handed the Miami Heat the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston’s loss, combined with Miami’s 98-90 win over Atlanta, guaranteed the Heat will finish second and the Celtics will place third.