As the head coach at Rutgers University, Greg Schiano witnessed the horrific injury suffered by his defensive tackle Eric LeGrand. In 2010, Eric was paralyzed from the neck down while making a tackle in a game at Giants Stadium. During the initial recovery, Schiano would drive more than an hour after practice to relieve Eric’s mom at the hospital and spend the night by the side of his player. Doctors told Eric he would spend the rest of his life on a ventilator and be confined to a wheelchair. Eric had other plans. Five weeks after the injury, he was breathing on his own and used a metal frame to help himself stand up. He has since resumed his studies at Rutgers and hopes to pursue a career in broadcasting. Meanwhile, this past offseason, after 11 seasons at Rutgers, Coach Schiano was hired to lead the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As a rookie head coach, he had a lot on his plate relative to draft picks, workouts and interviews – not to mention wins and losses. But he never forgot Eric. The same coach who spent nights at Eric’s hospital bedside was there for him on what would be one of his proudest and happiest days. In what can only be described as an act of pure class, Coach Schiano and the Buccaneers signed Eric to a free agent contract in May. The contract was symbolic – it had no monetary value – but the signing did count against the Bucs’ 90-man player limit. The team shipped a No. 52 jersey and helmet to Eric in New Jersey. The jersey was made available on the Bucs’ website to raise money for spinal cord research. Coach Schiano said in a release by the team, “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.” The signing, which occurred just days after the NFL draft, came as a complete to surprise to Eric, who would have been eligible to be selected in the draft this past spring. Eric said, “This is something I always dreamed about, to go to the NFL and retire and become a sportscaster. Dreams do come true if you really believe. He did this out of the kindness of his heart where he just wanted to do it. Honestly, it’s amazing.”