Eric LeGrand was supporting his Rutgers Scarlet Knights Jan. 2 while watching the men’s basketball team pull off a shocking upset of the Purdue Boilermakers, the No. 1 team in the NCAA at the time, when he started to get Twitter notifications about another game happening.
It was the Buffalo Bills against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Damar Hamlin had just suffered cardiac arrest on the field following a kickoff return by Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins, whose helmet went right through his chest during a tackle.
Immediately, LeGrand thought what the rest of us did.
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Former player Eric LeGrand listens in as Greg Schiano talks after being introduced as the new head football coach of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Dec. 4, 2019 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
“Wow, what a horrific moment,” he told Fox News Digital, reflecting on the moment he switched channels to ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcast, where Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and the rest of the crew were fighting back tears as no one knew what was going on with Hamlin.
For LeGrand, the initial look of Hamlin laying on the turf hit him even harder.
LeGrand’s story has been well documented. He was in his junior season as a defensive lineman at Rutgers when he had a moment just as scary and tragic as Hamlin’s.
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During an October game against Army at MetLife Stadium in 2010, LeGrand unintentionally lowered his head to make a tackle and drove the crown of his helmet into the shoulder of the ball carrier. At that moment, he laid stiff on the MetLife turf, unable to breathe or move anything but his head.
Doctors later determined at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey that he was paralyzed from the neck down.
Luckily for both LeGrand and Hamlin, the quick actions taken by medical and training staffs on the scene turned these tragic moments into the first steps toward recovery and a positive outlook on life.
LeGrand knows that without them, they both would not be here providing the inspiration they do every day.
Damar Hamlin and Buffalo Bills Training Staff are seen onstage at The 2023 ESPYS held at Dolby Theatre on July 12, 2023 in Los Angeles. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
“They saved his life on the field as well as [the Rutgers’ staff] saving mine,” LeGrand said. “They had me, from the time I went down to getting in the ambulance and to the hospital, it was all within seven minutes which was crucial at the very beginning of my injury to help me.”
“Without medical staff and that training, both of us wouldn’t be here today.”
LeGrand added that he has not been able to speak with Hamlin, who has become a household name following his tragic accident that he turned into positivity the second he started his recovery, but is a fan.
“Obviously, we’ve had, not the same situation on the field, but we’ve both been laying on that turf and been carted off that field. It was both life-changing moments for us, but I’ve been a fan from afar.”
LeGrand was watching as Hamlin got emotional during his ESPYS presentation of the Pat Tillman Award For Service that was awarded to the Bills’ training staff after their life-saving actions on the Buffalo safety that night.
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He admired his courage to stand up there and relive that moment, something he also did at the 2012 ESPYS when LeGrand was named the recipient of the Jimmy V Award For Perserverance. He announced during his speech that he would someday walk again.
Today, LeGrand continues to pursue that moment where he walks again. He continues to go through his physical therapy, and especially loves the summer’s nice weather that allows him to get outside more.
“I’m doing awesome,” he said. “I still stick to my therapy. Summertime, which is my favorite time of the year, I’m getting out and about, going to different events and enjoying the weather.
Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin speaks in front of University of Cincinnati Medical Center staff during the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl LVII football game, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023, in Phoenix. (David J. Phillip / AP Photo)
“My therapist comes to my house once a week. Just being able to run my businesses keeps you moving, and it’s great for my body in general because I’m not just sitting inside all day every day and letting my muscles atrophy. I’m actually moving around always doing something. Just keeps my healthy and ready to go each and every day. I’m blessed and I’m in a good place, which is a good thing.”
LeGrand’s latest business venture is getting into the bourbon business with his Eric LeGrand Kentucky Straight Bourbon, which is now the first spirits brand to be partnered by Rutgers Athletics and will be available at football games, basketball games and more.
“I love that because of Rutgers, the history, the birthplace of college football,” LeGrand said about being the first spirits brand to partner with his alma mater. “My jersey was the first jersey ever retired there, and now the first spirits partner with Rutgers Athletics. I just think it’s huge especially how much the university means to me and what they have given me, supported me over the years. To now be able to be tied to it with my business is just amazing.”
Eric LeGrand speaks onstage during the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Gala, A Magical Evening 2022 at Cipriani South Street on Nov. 10, 2022 in New York City. (Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation)
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While LeGrand continues to focus on his many different goals personally and in business, Hamlin is back on the field with his Bills teammates, as he was deemed eligible for full football activity that should have him back on the field on gameday this season.
Off the field, he is spreading awareness for CPR training and finding ways to give back to the community that raised more than $10 million to his Chasing M’s Foundation following his injury.
