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Microsoft airing commercial with ALS-inflicted former NFL player as first national Super Bowl ad

Microsoft plans to air its first nationally televised Super Bowl commercial when the Denver Broncos take on the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday, an ad that will feature several people using Microsoft products, including former NFL player Steve Gleason, whose career was cut short by ALS – a disease more commonly referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease."

According to a report by The Seattle Times, company representatives said the commercial "would be a 60-second ad featuring people using Microsoft products." Gleason will be one of those people, the news outlet reports, though it didn't say if any other Microsoft product users who will be featured in the commercial have been revealed. Microsoft posted the video above, called "No White Flags," about Gleason's use of a Surface Pro tablet to use eye-tracking software that allows him to communicate with friends and family.

Parts of "No White Flags" will be used in Microsoft's Super Bowl commercial, The Times reports, though it's not clear if Gleason will be the focus or if it will be evenly spread with other Microsoft users.

Luckily for Microsoft's board of directors, they'll be able to see the commercial live, as Re/code reports the board members will meet this weekend to discuss their CEO search, though they'll take a break to watch the Super Bowl. Microsoft is heavily connected with the Seattle Seahawks, as the company's headquarters is located in nearby Redmond, Wash., and company co-founder Paul Allen owns the team. Ryan Asdourian, a communications manager at Microsoft, is also the Seahawks mascot, Blitz.

Update: Microsoft has published its Super Bowl commercial, seen below.

Source: The Seattle Times

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