Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sign Eric LeGrand

Eric LeGrand was signed today by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The soon-to-be Rutgers grad and Woodbridge native was signed as a free agent this morning in what he calls a symbolic gesture by his former coach and mentor Greg Schiano.

LeGrand, who had been a standout defensive tackle, suffered fractures of two vertebrae and a serious spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed, according to ScarletKnights.com.

Despite being told that he would be a quadriplegic and resigned to a ventilator, LeGrand persevered and a mere five weeks after the injury, resumed breathing on his own. Later, he even became able to stand upright with the help of a metal frame.

LeGrand resumed his studies via video conference during the spring 2011 semester and continued to be an impactful member of the Rutgers football team during his senior year. He made his first return to the football field on October 29, 2011, one year after his injury, leading his team and Head Coach Greg Schiano out onto the field at Rutgers’ stadium. LeGrand also joined his fellow seniors on the field for Senior Day festivities prior to kickoff of a win over Cincinnati on November 19.

“Leading up to the draft, I couldn’t help but think that this should’ve been Eric’s draft class,” said Coach 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, according to ESPN, was both surprised and grateful. 

"I said, 'Are you serious? You want to do this?' 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.

"It's something I always dreamed about, go to the NFL and retire and become a sportscaster," LeGrand added. "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 Buccaneers also decided to make the signing May 2, to represent LeGrand's college number (52).

He put up a photo of a Tampa Bay helmet on his Twitter page, tweeting, "We ready!!!"

"It's a symbolic gesture. They can't give me any money with the salary cap and all that kind of stuff," LeGrand said in his conference call. "It's symbolic, something coach

The story touched a nerve throughout the sports world. Andrea Adelson, writing on her ESPN college football blog, said the signing of LeGrand by his former college coach “seemed incredibly fitting” and “Downright amazing, really, given the cynical times we live in today.

More than ever, sports is about business. We hear it all the time. Schiano made a business decision when he left Rutgers for Tampa Bay with time ticking down to national signing day.

The future four-team playoff will be terrific for business. Branding stadiums is about business. Increasingly, bottom lines are all that matters. Fans are having a harder time finding good intentions without raising their eyebrows and wondering if there is something else going on behind the scenes.

But then a story like this comes along, and we are reminded of what we love about sports. The brotherhood, determination, hard work, perseverance, love, joy. Dreams coming true.