O.J. Brigance, beloved Raven who battled ALS for almost 2 decades, dies at 56

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Former Ravens linebacker and team official O.J. Brigance, whose 19-year fight with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis made him one of the franchise’s most beloved and inspiring figures, died Monday, the team announced. He was 56.

Brigance had served as the team’s longtime senior adviser to player development until recently, when his condition worsened. Brigance, a Grey Cup- and Super Bowl-winning player, was diagnosed in 2007 with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder named after the Hall of Fame baseball player, which attacks nerve cells that control muscles throughout the body.

Only an estimated 20% of ALS patients live for five years or more after their diagnosis, according to the ALS Association. But Brigance remained a fixture around the team’s Owings Mills facility and in the community for nearly two decades. He and his wife, Chanda, founded the Brigance Brigade Foundation, a nonprofit that has raised money and awareness to support people living with ALS and their families.

In statements, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and executive vice president Ozzie Newsome said they were “devastated” by his death.

“O.J. was a beloved legend, mentor and man to everyone who was fortunate enough to know him,” Bisciotti said. “He was a vibrant person who became one of the first Ravens heroes with his passionate play, including the first tackle in the 2000 Super Bowl.

“Known for his big smile and welcoming nature, it was easy to feel a special connection with O.J. from the moment you met him. His infectious smile and the inspirational way he lived and played endeared him to everyone he touched, both inside our building and across this city.”

Brigance grew up in Houston and starred at linebacker for nearby Rice. He started his professional career in the Canadian Football League in 1991, earning All-Star honors and winning a Grey Cup title with the Baltimore Stallions in 1995.

In 2000, after four years with the Miami Dolphins, he signed with the Ravens. He finished second on the team with 25 special teams tackles and led the Ravens with 10 special teams tackles in their championship run, including the first stop in their win over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

Brigance joined the Ravens’ front office in 2004, two years after retiring from the NFL, and worked for over two decades in player development and player engagement. In 2014, Brigance was honored by the Pro Football Writers of America with the George Halas Award, given to the NFL player, coach or staff member who has overcome the most adversity to succeed.

“O.J. was one of the most genuine, sincere people I have ever known,” Newsome said in a statement. “From the moment he arrived in Baltimore, you could feel his energy. His amazing smile, welcoming nature and infectious personality made everyone around him feel like family.

“He was a hero to this city long before his courageous battle with ALS and became an even greater inspiration in the way he faced it with the same fight, faith and grace he brought to the football field.”

As Brigance’s symptoms worsened, he came to rely on a motorized wheelchair and a medical attendant. He communicated with the help of eye-tracking software. But “Juice,” as he was known, was still a regular presence at Ravens practices and games.

He said in a 2023 interview with The Banner that “my physical capacities are nowhere near what they used to be, however I am stronger than I have ever been mentally and spiritually due to the lessons learned in our battle with ALS.”

Players, coaches and officials in Baltimore have long pointed to Brigance as an inspiration and source of positivity.

In his remarks following the team’s triumph against New England in the AFC championship game in 2013, Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis recalled telling Brigance: “You’re my greatest motivation, because we won a Super Bowl together, and to see him still fighting, no weapon formed against this team shall prosper.”

Ravens special teams coordinator Anthony Levine Sr. said in February that Brigance would email and text him “all the time,” joking about their respective careers. “It was always back and forth with ‘Juiceman’ about who’s the better special teams player, me or him,” Levine said. “But I would give it to ‘Juiceman’ just out of respect for him.”

Former Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who often called Brigance “the strongest man in the organization” and would read his emails in locker room speeches after wins, said in a statement that Brigance was “a hero in our eyes.”

“O.J. was a man of great faith who was given a very challenging purpose, and he met it perfectly in every way through the great glory of God,” Harbaugh said. “I look forward to seeing him again in heaven someday.”

The Brigance Brigade Foundation, now in its 19th year of providing grants that help pay for wheelchairs, nursing care, accessibility and other equipment for ALS patients, has raised more than $1.8 million for hundreds of families, Brigance said in 2023.

Each spring, the foundation hosts a 5.7-kilometer run in Baltimore to raise funds for its grants program, in honor of Brigance’s No. 57 jersey. A fundraiser at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood with a $57,000 goal was scheduled for early October, not long after his 57th birthday.

Brigance is survived by Chanda, 58, his wife of over three decades.

“For 22 years, we’ve been blessed to have O.J. as a teammate, friend and brother,” general manager Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “It’s a sad day, but also a celebration of all the gifts that O.J. bestowed upon our team and our city and the entire NFL community.

“O.J. inspired us with humility, faithfulness, determination, competitiveness and love for humankind. We never once saw O.J. angry or frustrated by his disease. Instead, we all witnessed a hero who influenced so many people through his unwavering optimism and grit. O.J. Brigance is the definition of what it means to live like a Raven.”

This story has been updated.