By Mike Vorkunov, updated by Adam Helfgott
It was not the type of meeting Greg Schiano wanted to have with his team a day after beating Army 23-20 in overtime. The head coach of Rutgers had to tell his players that their teammate, Eric LeGrand, had no movement below his neck after suffering a spinal cord injury with 5:10 left to go in yesterday’s ballgame.
LeGrand underwent emergency surgery at the C3-C4 level to stabilize his spine after the game at Hackensack University Medical Center. He is now in the intensive care unit and will remain there for the near future. Schiano said Sunday that he spoke to Eric before and after surgery.
“Eric’s spirits were as good as you can expect.” Schiano said during his Sunday teleconference. “We saw him before surgery and after. He’s a fighter.”
Schiano had a quick press conference following Saturday’s victory, but was visibly upset and concerned with LeGrand. Schiano went directly to the hospital after leaving the Stadium.
LeGrand is on the team’s leadership council, comprised on nine players who are a communication line between Schiano and the rest of the team. It is the most important position on the team right behind captainship. Schiano noted that those great qualities that got him on the council will help him throughout the tough process.
“He’s got a new set of challenges in front of him but there is not a doubt in my mind Eric LeGrand is going to look these challenges right in the eye like the rest of them and overcome it.”
Schiano said he did not watch the injury on tape until this afternoon and did not want to discuss the emotions he felt while watching the replay. As expected, LeGrand’s family is emotional but thankful for the response and support the Rutgers community has shown.
“We want to say thank you to everyone for all of your prayers, kind words, and well wishes,” the LeGrand family said in a statement released through the athletic department. “We appreciate every single thought. Eric is in good spirits and we are praying for a full recovery.”
Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti, deputy of athletics Kevin MacConnell, and friends and family of Eric were present throughout the night at the hospital. LeGrand is very popular among the team, and Schiano believes the support he is receiving will help the recovery process.
“As you can imagine, it’s a nightmare for any parent, he’s got a great family and they were all there last night,” Schiano said. “They spent the entire night together, there is going to be a lot of nights together, they’re very supportive, it’s a reason he is the young man that he is.”
Schiano not only spoke to NFL personnel and multiple doctors about the injury, but also called his mentor, Joe Paterno Saturday evening.
Paterno dealt with a similar situation when Adam Taliaferro went down with a spinal cord injury in a game against Ohio State in 2000. Taliaferro broke his fifth cervical vertebrae while making a tackle on defense, but it was his miraculous and hard fought recovery that gained national media attention.
“I called coach last night,” Schiano said. “I just wanted to make sure there was nothing I was over looking”
LeGrand’s presence will certainly be missed at practice, and Schiano noted that Eric’s attitude serves as a prime example of what a teammate is.
“Eric is a big strong, nice guy. When he hits the field, he always comes to the facility with great energy. He’s the guy that would not allow a bad practice to go. He had that way about him, that smile about him.”
LeGrand could even make the stern and sometimes cold stoned Greg Schiano crack a smile.
“Out on the practice field he could make you laugh with just smiling at you, he is a special guy. A guy who really loves to play the game, a lot of people like it a lot, he loves it, I think he’s a great teammate.”
No further information was available regarding the diagnosis for LeGrand’s recovery.
