Brigance has maintained his work schedule at the Ravens’ offices while dealing with his illness, a neurological disorder also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that damages motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord.
He was a unanimous selection by the Ravens for the award as a tribute for his bravery and positive attitude in dealing with his illness since it was discovered last year.
Brigance is a former Ravens linebacker and special-teams ace who won a Super Bowl with Baltimore following the 2000 season.
In his current post, Brigance has twice won NFL awards for best player development program and has helped several players go back to school to earn their degrees.
Brigance is the second recipient of the award with the first one going to the late Carolina Panthers linebacker Sam Mills.
A hereditary disease that causes muscle and breathing problems, Lou Gehrig’s disease is named after the late New York Yankees baseball player.
According to the ALS Association, noted doctor and author Stephen Hawking is the greatest long-term survivor of the disease having lived over 40 years since being diagnosed at age 21.
