On November 9th 2014, the NFL community lost an icon whose play on the field and commitment to the Minnesota Vikings’ organization the field will keep him in memory for years to come.

One of the most successful defensive backs the NFL has ever seen, Orlando Thomas was a force to be reckoned with. In his rookie year with the Minnesota Vikings, Thomas led the team with nine interceptions and showed that he was here to stay. The University of Louisiana-Lafayette product showed everyone why we warranted the second round selection Minnesota used in 1995.

Orlando Thomas was diagnosed with Amyotrpohic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in June 2007. Commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, the degenerative condition ravages the central nervous system leaving patients totally vulnerable to decreasing nervous function in rapid progression. Many patients lose the ability to walk and communicate verbally very quickly.

Many former NFL players have been diagnosed with ALS in recent years, and many are looking to the many head injuries we see occur in football on a regular basis. As concussion lawsuits pile up on the desk of Roger Goodell, not many are sure of where the future of the NFL lies with the amount of medical trauma that is afflicting former players.

To raise awareness for ALS and promote social action to research this condition, many have been promoting the Ice Bucket Challenge via all channels of social media. The process involved a short video in which individuals dump buckets of ice water on themselves and relay a message to someone else to complete the challenge themselves. There have been a resurgence of Ice Bucket Challenge videos on social channels in light of Orlando Thomas’ death.

Thomas is said to have approached the game in a unique way. After mistakenly reporting his death in 2009, the Minnesota Vikings apologized profusely and hoped that they would not have to communicate the valid message of Orlando Thomas’ passing for a very long time.

Research into head injuries’ role in football has continued to expand in the Roger Goodell era, but countless families of former and current players are asking for more to be done. While funding is being committed to ALS research at historic levels, this research takes time and strict patient monitoring.

The NFL community will continue to look for answers but until then Roger Goodell must find a way to make the game safer in future years.