Former Vikings safety Orlando Thomas dies at 42

Former Minnesota Vikings safety Orlando Thomas died Sunday night of complications from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 42.

“Nobody’s ever fought a battle like Orlando fought, with so much dignity -- I never saw anything like it,” Thomas’ agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “It’s just incredible. He never had a sense of self pity, never felt sorry for himself, he was always worried about everyone else. He was just the most incredible person I’ve ever been around.”

Thomas played for the Vikings from 1995 through 2001, and led the NFL in interceptions during his rookie season with nine.

According to ESPN, around the time of his death, Thomas was almost 70 pounds lighter than his playing weight of 225 pounds.

Thomas, who had 22 interceptions in his seven-year career, revealed in 2007 that he had been diagnosed with ALS, a disease that afflicts several former NFL players.