Tim Shaw ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: Former NFL Player Reveals Diagnosis in Video [Watch]

By Paul John Rivera First Posted: Aug 21, 2014 10:14 AM EDT

Former Tennessee Titans linebacker Tim Shaw revealed on Tuesday that he has been living with ALS over the past several months.

Shaw, who spent the final three seasons of his career in Tennessee before announcing his retirement last year, revealed in a video posted on the team's official website that he was diagnosed with ALS in April.

"A year ago, I was playing NFL football. I've recently been diagnosed with ALS," Shaw said. "I'm here today to stand up and fight with all of you against this disease."

The 30-year-old, who also served as special teams' captain, then took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and poured a bucket of ice on himself. This challenge has been a social media phenomenon over the past several weeks, creating awareness and getting donations for intensive researches about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Shaw then called out the entire Titans organization and coach James Franklin along with the Penn State football team and the Clarenceville, Michigan community to take their ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

The Titans responded on Wednesday as all players and their coaching staff took the challenge, collectively pouring ice water on themselves in front of Shaw, who admitted that he was overwhelmed with the support from his former team.

"I am overwhelmed just by the support," Shaw said. "It has been unbelievable. I have always loved attention, but not this kind of attention. I knew it was something that I needed to do. I knew it was something that would be beneficial, not for me, but for the cause. So, that's why I did it. It has been amazing support, an amazing response."

Shaw, who was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, admitted that making his condition public was a hard decision to make, but he felt that it was the right time to reveal his condition.

"It was very difficult to go public," Shaw said. "But it was made very clear to me that the time was right. I had waited for months, and needed to process it on my own and figure out what my message was going to be because if I had just come out right away, I wouldn't have known much about it. I wouldn't have known what I am really going to stand for against this in my life."