Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sign Eric LeGrand

Eric LeGrand had a dream when he was a child. One most young kids share:

“I always wanted to go to the NFL,” he said.

So when he got the call from his former coach at Rutgers, Greg Schiano, he was ecstatic. Not because he hadn’t heard from Schiano in a while, but because Schiano is currently the head coach of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Normally a coach asking a former college player to join a 90-man offseason roster wouldn’t be very noteworthy, but in LeGrand’s case, it’s monumental.

As most know, LeGrand has been in a wheelchair since October of 2010, when he was paralyzed from the neck down while tackling Malcolm Brown in a game against Army.

“It may not be the circumstances that I wanted, but I’m there,” LeGrand said. “I had no idea, no idea, this was going to happen. Honestly, it’s amazing. It is. It really is.”

LeGrand’s mom, Karen LeGrand was eavesdropping on her son’s half of the conversation between him and Coach Schiano.

"

“I knew it was coming so I was listening in,” she said. “And I heard Eric say, ‘Are you serious, coach? Really? No, you’re not serious.’ He was just super, super excited about it and I was excited for him. For him to get that feeling of being signed as a free agent like the rest of his teammates, it means the world to him.”

"

It was an incredible move and a truly incredible moment. Schiano downplayed the signing.

“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,” Schiano said.

Way to go, Coach.

We at BR5 are officially Bucs fans this year.

Follow @Bleacher5 on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bleacher5
Follow @DesiSanchez on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/desisanchez
Like BR5 on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Bleacher5
Subscribe to BR5 on YouTube: http://goo.gl/hMQhf