Eric LeGrand Returns Home After Spending 16 Days in Hospital With Pneumonia

Eric LeGrand, the former Rutgers defensive tackle who was paralyzed from the neck down after making a tackle during a game against Army in 2010, returned home after after being in the hospital for 16 days with pneumonia associated to his spinal cord injury.

LeGrand went to a Hackensack Medical Center in New Jersey thinking that he had appendicitis. But the 31-year-old tweeted Wednesday that he had “full blown pneumonia” and had “blacked out in the emergency room.”

“A few life saving procedures, on a ventilator for five days and a lot more, I'm so thankful to be released from the hospital today,” LeGrand tweeted. “Thank you God for everything, I still believe.”

Along with LeGrand thanking the doctors and medical staff at the New Jersey-based hospital, the former Scarlett Knights star said that the support from his family and friends truly meant everything to him.

“My mom and family ... just wow. I don't know where I would be without you guys, I love you so much he wrote,” LeGrand said. “Thank you to my team behind me that kept everything running smoothly, you guys are awesome. And as always thank you to my friends and support system for always being there for me.”

LeGrand sustained injuries to his C3 and C4 vertebrae during the fourth quarter of the game against Army at MetLife Stadium. Before the injury, LeGrand had planned to play in the NFL and eventually retire from the league to become a sports broadcaster. 

LeGrand's devastating injury obviously stopped him from achieving his initial life goals, but he’s made the most of his situation and has almost certainly made a larger impact with how things have played out. He met former U.S. President Barack Obama when he delivered the commencement speech at Rutgers in 2016, published a memoir and earned a Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the ESPYs.

He has also launched a fundraising arm—called Team LeGrand—with the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation as well as started the LeGrand Coffee House, which includes an online shop and physical location in his hometown of Woodbridge, New Jersey.