Former Saint Steve Gleason takes the Ice Bucket Challenge stark naked

Heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge yet? It's a dare making its way through the sports world, the idea being that you dump a bucket of ice water over your head to raise awareness of the neurodegenerative disease ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. If you're challenged, you have 24 hours to film yourself getting doused, or you have to give $100 to the ALS Association. You've also got to challenge three more people to the tender mercies of the ice. (Predictably, there's a backlash against all this, arguing that "awareness" is no substitute for hard cash.)

Former Saint Steve Gleason, who suffers from ALS, accepted the challenge and ramped it up a notch: naked. "Everything's better naked," Gleason says. "Well, maybe not everything."

You want an idea of the heartbreaking ravages of ALS? Gleason can't even move when a bucket of ice water is dumped on him.

Gleason challenged Drew Brees, Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, the mayor of New Orleans, and his own brother to take the ice bucket challenge. Nudity may or may not be optional.

For more on the ALS Association, click here.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook or on Twitter.

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