Bucs Sign Eric LeGrand

[RipCity32]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a notable and poignant free-agent signing Wednesday when they added one of Coach Greg Schiano’s former Rutgers players: defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed after injuring his spinal cord in a game in 2010.

“Leading up to the draft, I couldn’t help but think that this should’ve been Eric’s draft class,” Schiano, entering his first season with the Buccaneers, said in a statement. “This small gesture is the least we could do to recognize his character, spirit and perseverance.”

LeGrand, who is scheduled to graduate next fall from Rutgers with a degree in labor studies, was not sure what his role would be with the Buccaneers and said he would not be paid. He said that the team would be mailing him a No. 52 jersey, a Tampa Bay helmet and a contract by the end of the week.

“It was something I always dreamed about, going to the N.F.L. and retiring and becoming a sports broadcaster,” LeGrand said in a conference call with reporters. “Dreams do come true, if you believe. You do the right things in life, and good things happen to you.”

LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down after being injured while making a tackle against Army on Oct. 16, 2010. He was told that he would be a quadriplegic and require a ventilator, but he resumed breathing on his own five weeks after the injury.

LeGrand still uses a wheelchair but has been able to stand upright with the assistance of a metal frame. More recently, he has been having physical therapy sessions two to three times a week, after completing 80 sessions of a walking program. He has also participated in what he described as a biking program, which stimulates his muscles.

LeGrand, from Avenel, N.J., played in 31 games for the Scarlet Knights over three seasons. He recorded 60 tackles, 11 for losses, and two and a half sacks and three fumble recoveries for the Scarlet Knights.

Since leaving for Tampa Bay after 11 seasons at Rutgers, Schiano has spoken almost weekly with LeGrand. Schiano choked up when discussing LeGrand’s injury in a postgame news conference the day it occurred, and he made sure to involve LeGrand with the program, inviting him onto the field for games last season.

LeGrand recalled being caught off guard when Schiano called him Tuesday to tell him about the Buccaneers’ plans to sign him. He was happy to note that his name would be added to a wall in Rutgers’s Hale Center football facility, where former players who reached the N.F.L. are listed.

“It’s just something that Coach wanted to do, and I just appreciate that,” LeGrand said of joining the Buccaneers, adding that his cellphone received a flurry of congratulatory text messages after the news broke. “It’s just a symbolic gesture. It just shows the man he is.”

Very nice gesture. Class act by Tampa.

 

[SaintFan25]

Very cool of them to do.

 

[Hurricane Season]

He could probably fight for a starting spot over Brian Price.