Devin McCourty

Patriots, Saints motivated by visit from ex-Rutgers player Eric LeGrand

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:28 p.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

The New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints welcomed an insipirational visitor to their joint practice on Wednesday. Former Rutgers player Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed during a game in 2010, spent time with players from both teams after practice.

Both teams met with @EricLeGrand52 after practice @RFootball pic.twitter.com/WotKvfSg9T
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 10, 2016

LeGrand shared a message with the Patriots and Saints, which New England rookie receiver Malcolm Mitchell was motivated by.

LeGrand played at Rutgers with three Patriots players: Devin McCourty, Duron Harmon and Logan Ryan. They took a photo with him after practice.

One player in particular was inspired by LeGrand, and that was Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux. The 26-year-old didn’t play college football after suffering a broken neck in high school, which made LeGrand’s presence at practice especially impactful.

The Rutgers guys (McCourty, Harmon, Ryan, Freeny) take a pic with Eric LeGrand pic.twitter.com/caSgJGp00o
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) August 10, 2016

Breaux tweeted a photo of him with LeGrand, calling the former Rutgers player his inspiration.

LeGrand's speech was reportedly a lengthy one, spanning more than five minutes. It's hard not to be motivated and inspired by a person as resilient as he is.