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The story of former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand is a story about unenviable loss and heartwarming perseverance, and another chapter today was added by his old coach.
The Buccaneers announced Wednesday morning that they had signed LeGrand to a contract. Much like one of those one-day contracts for players who want to retire with a certain team, this contract is ceremonial. LeGrand won't play, but the gesture made by coach Greg Schiano, who coached LeGrand in college, is uplifting as LeGrand continues trying to put together his life.
LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down in October 2010 when he suffered a neck injury while making a tackle against Army. But since then, he's become an inspiration.
Doctors told him he would be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life and that he would have to remain on a ventilator, but LeGrand began breathing on his own five weeks later. Since then, he's begun to feel sensation throughout his body, and he's tweeted pictures of himself standing upright as he tweeted out the following: “Standing tall, we can't fall. Standing upright again.”
Schiano obviously has a special place in his heart for LeGrand, who is planning to graduate next year with a degree in labor studies.
"Leading up to the draft, I couldn't help but think that this should've been Eric's draft class," said Schiano in a statement. "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."
In a teleconference Wednesday morning, LeGrand, who will not receive a salary from Tampa Bay, told reporters that he's living in a New Jersey apartment with his mother while waiting for his house -- which is being renovated to make it handicap accessible -- to be finished.
For now, he's going to therapy a couple times a week and arm-pedaling on a specially-made bike to continue his strength training. He's also been practicing sitting up without assistance, and he's up to 15 minutes by himself.
"That's a miracle," he said. "I'm not supposed to be doing any of this kind of stuff."
I asked LeGrand what his long-term goals are. Is walking a possibility?
“My goal is to walk," he said. "I know it's going to happen. I believe this happened for a reason. My goal is to get back on my feet. I'm going to keep on fighting. I don't know when it will happen, but down the road, it will happen. If you believe in the man upstairs, anything is legit to happen."
As the video below shows, when LeGrand led Rutgers onto the field last October, he continues to inspire, and today's news continue that journey for him.
And good for Schiano and the Tampa Bay organization. So much of the news in the offseason is made by those players who were arrested or by teams who were caught running bounty programs. Sometimes, it's just nice to write about good news. Even better that today it's LeGrand and a story that continues to inspire.
For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Josh Katzowitz on Twitter here: @joshkatzowitz.
The Buccaneers announced Wednesday morning that they had signed LeGrand to a contract. Much like one of those one-day contracts for players who want to retire with a certain team, this contract is ceremonial. LeGrand won't play, but the gesture made by coach Greg Schiano, who coached LeGrand in college, is uplifting as LeGrand continues trying to put together his life.
LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down in October 2010 when he suffered a neck injury while making a tackle against Army. But since then, he's become an inspiration.
Doctors told him he would be a quadriplegic for the rest of his life and that he would have to remain on a ventilator, but LeGrand began breathing on his own five weeks later. Since then, he's begun to feel sensation throughout his body, and he's tweeted pictures of himself standing upright as he tweeted out the following: “Standing tall, we can't fall. Standing upright again.”
Schiano obviously has a special place in his heart for LeGrand, who is planning to graduate next year with a degree in labor studies.
"Leading up to the draft, I couldn't help but think that this should've been Eric's draft class," said Schiano in a statement. "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."
In a teleconference Wednesday morning, LeGrand, who will not receive a salary from Tampa Bay, told reporters that he's living in a New Jersey apartment with his mother while waiting for his house -- which is being renovated to make it handicap accessible -- to be finished.
For now, he's going to therapy a couple times a week and arm-pedaling on a specially-made bike to continue his strength training. He's also been practicing sitting up without assistance, and he's up to 15 minutes by himself.
"That's a miracle," he said. "I'm not supposed to be doing any of this kind of stuff."
I asked LeGrand what his long-term goals are. Is walking a possibility?
“My goal is to walk," he said. "I know it's going to happen. I believe this happened for a reason. My goal is to get back on my feet. I'm going to keep on fighting. I don't know when it will happen, but down the road, it will happen. If you believe in the man upstairs, anything is legit to happen."
As the video below shows, when LeGrand led Rutgers onto the field last October, he continues to inspire, and today's news continue that journey for him.
And good for Schiano and the Tampa Bay organization. So much of the news in the offseason is made by those players who were arrested or by teams who were caught running bounty programs. Sometimes, it's just nice to write about good news. Even better that today it's LeGrand and a story that continues to inspire.
For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Josh Katzowitz on Twitter here: @joshkatzowitz.
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