TAMPA, Fla. -- The NFL draft came and went last week, but the faded gridiron dreams of one former college player have suddenly taken on new life this week.
Eric LeGrand, the one-time Rutgers University defensive tackle, was added to the 90-man roster of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by head coach Greg Schiano, the club announced Wednesday morning.
What makes that so remarkable, of course, is that LeGrand hasn’t walked in 19 months since being paralyzed from the neck down on Oct. 16, 2010 while making a tackle for Rutgers and then-head coach Schiano at Giants Stadium.
Schiano never forgot the player he had personally recruited and continued to make LeGrand part of the Scarlet Knights family as he pushed himself through grueling rehabilitation. And now Schiano has made him part of the Buc family.
“Leading up to the draft, I couldn’t help but think that this should’ve been Eric’s draft class,” said Schiano. “This small gesture is the least we could do to recognize his character, spirit, and perseverance. The way Eric lives his life epitomizes what we are looking for in Buccaneer Men.”
LeGrand, speaking on a conference call Wednesday morning, was floored by the call Tuesday from Schiano, who had called LeGrand’s mother the night before to let her know of his plans.
"I said, 'Are you serious? You want to do this?” recalled LeGrand to reporters. “He said: 'It's the least we could do,'" LeGrand said Wednesday during a conference call. "I said I don't even know what to say to you right now, coach. This is amazing.”
For LeGrand, it marked an unexpected culmination of a long-held aspiration.
"It's something I always dreamed about, go to the NFL and retire and become a sportscaster," he said. "Dreams do come true if you really believe. You do the right things in life, good things happen to you. He really just did this out of the kindness of his heart. It's really what he wanted to do. I had no idea this was going to happen."
The specifics of LeGrand’s involvement with the Bucs have yet to be determined, but whatever form it takes, he remains grateful to his coach for making it happen.
"It's a symbolic gesture. They can't give me any money with the salary cap and all that kind of stuff," LeGrand said. "It's … something coach wanted to do and I appreciate that. It just shows the man that he is."
Throughout the recovery process, LeGrand has refused to accept the obstacles he faced. He got off his ventilator after fives weeks even though he was initially told that he would need it permanently. He was able to stand up with the help of a special frame. And he is determined to walk again one day on his own, with the goal of one day visiting the spot in Giants Stadium where he was injured, lying down there – and then climbing back to his feet and walking away.
At the time of his injury, he was a junior standout who had played in 31 games with 60 tackles (11 for loss), 2.5 sacks and three fumble recoveries. But he refused to let himself get caught up in self-pity, and moved forward with life after the injury. Last year, he resumed taking classes at Rutgers using Skype and remained involved with the Rutgers football team, leading Schiano and the Scarlet Knights onto the field against West Virginia and Cincinnati.
His return to the field was voted the Sports Illustrated’s Moment of the Year and he also received “The Most Courageous Athlete Award” from the New Jersey Sports Writers Association last January. And on June 9, LeGrand will be presented with the Unsung Hero Award in the New Jersey Hall of Fame induction ceremony for his “representation of courage, strength and character.”
He hopes to graduate next fall with a degree in labor studies and is still pursuing his goal of becoming a sportscaster. But for now, with a helping hand from his old coach, he can savor an NFL dream that seemed to have slipped away.
