By Kim Constantinesco

Football is a game of yards, sometimes inches. When it comes to player safety, however, it’s a matter of millimeters.

One person who knows that all too well is former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand. On Saturday, October 16, 2010, LeGrand suffered a life-altering injury on one of the most routine plays. On a fourth-quarter kickoff return, LeGrand tackled an Army returner and fell lifeless to the turf. The only part of his body that he was able to move was his head.

LeGrand knew what a stinger was. He had experienced a few of them throughout his playing days, but he knew right away that this was something completely different.

“I felt like I was going to die because I couldn’t breathe,” LeGrand said. “When I couldn’t move and I couldn’t breathe at the same time, I thought that was the end. I freaked myself out. Coach [Greg] Schiano said, ‘Just pray’ and that’s all I did was pray.”

LeGrand was carted off the field and straight to the operating room where he underwent nine hours of emergency surgery in order to stabilize his spine. He fractured his C-3 and C-4 vertebrae. Had his head been a tad up or down, it likely would have just been a routine tackle. Millimeters transformed his life in an unimaginable way.

Doctors said that LeGrand had a 0-5% chance of regaining neurological function. It was a prognosis that his mother hid from him for a long time.

Surprising his doctors, LeGrand came off of his ventilator five weeks after surgery.

Three years later, LeGrand goes to physical therapy five days per week from 12:45 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. It’s been well worth it. He has some movement in his trunk and shoulder, and his fingers occasionally twitch. It’s much more than he had right after the injury.

“It’s been a great ride for the past three years,” LeGrand said.

Those are the last words one might expect to hear come out of LeGrand’s mouth.

LeGrand was raised by his hard working mother and by his sister, who is 11 years older than him.

“I always thought I was the man of the house and didn’t think I had to listen to anybody,” LeGrand said. “I was a stubborn young kid.”

That stubbornness has proved to be a positive attribute in LeGrand’s recovery. He turned into a “celebrity” virtually overnight as replays of the hit aired over and over on ESPN and local news outlets across the country.

“I make it my responsibility to get better because so many people are looking up to me,” LeGrand said.

It may take nurses two hours to get LeGrand ready in the morning, but once he’s ready, there’s no stopping him. He graduated in December with a degree in labor studies so that he has something other than motivational speaking to fall back on when he’s older. Currently, LeGrand fills his days either giving motivational speeches or appearing on radio shows.

LeGrand believes his purpose now is to inspire people with his story. The devastating loss in his story, however, isn’t the take home message.

“One day, I will get up on my feet and walk again and show that miracles do happen through hard work, perseverance, determination, and patience,” LeGrand said.

LeGrand wants to go back to the exact spot on the field at MetLife Stadium where he got hurt. He wants to lay down, and get back up again to walk or crawl away.

“Whatever I can do,” LeGrand said. “I want to get off that field and finish that play.”

LeGrand also wants to travel the world, listing Italy, South Africa, and Australia as some of his top destinations.

As he continually works to get to that point, LeGrand is also putting his energy toward his foundation, Team LeGrand. The foundation’s main goal in partnering with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation is to not only find a cure for paralysis, but to improve the quality of life for people living with paralysis.

“Life isn’t over once you’re paralyzed and a lot of people think that,” LeGrand said. ‘We’re trying to raise money so more people can get as much therapy as I get. We’re also trying to help people adjust to their new lifestyle if they were recently paralyzed.”

LeGrand will be the first to admit that living his life in a motorized wheelchair isn’t easy, but he’s had some positive moments along the way and that’s what he means by “It’s been a great ride.”

One of those moments was when Rutgers retired his jersey. It was the first one to be retired in the school’s 144-year history. Another one of those moments was when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed LeGrand to the team as a symbolic gesture. It’s those times and the people that constantly come up to him offering their well wishes and prayers that help keep his world bright.

LeGrand may not be able to use his hands yet, but when it comes to paralysis research, support, and inspiration, he’s got it all attached to the end of his puppeteer strings.

LeGrand may not be able to use his legs yet, but when he does, he only needs to go a matter of millimeters to make the biggest statement of all.