Eric LeGrand compares moment he was paralyzed to Beyonce's MTV VMAs performance: Report

Former Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand continues to show how mentally tough it is to handle the paralysis he suffered in a game back in 2010 — but that doesn't mean a little sense of humor can't help.

During the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night, LeGrand watched a Beyonce performance that left social media buzzing. And the former defensive star joined the fun:

Beyoncé got everyone like this when she performs Drunk in Love pic.twitter.com/9Zbck535Jd
— Eric LeGrand (@EricLeGrand52) August 25, 2014

That photo accompanying the tweet was the hit which paralyzed LeGrand on a kickoff against Army in October of 2010. Some Twitter users were actually shocked and even offended by the tweet, while others took it in stride.

How about this @emesola chick getting all offended over @EricLeGrand52's joke about himself? @BarstoolBigCat pic.twitter.com/VihQsxZNm1
— Brian Elliott (@_BrianElliott) August 25, 2014

Nearly an hour later, LeGrand clarified himself by tweeting this:

With my last tweet you guys can see that I have a sense of humor with my injury gotta enjoy life and laugh I know that cracked me up lol
— Eric LeGrand (@EricLeGrand52) August 25, 2014

Keep 'em laughing Eric.

[NJ.com]

Eric LeGrand 'upset' at Rutgers for rescinding commencement speech offer: Report

Add another link into the chain of embarrassing situations surrounding the Rutgers athletics department these days. And this might be the biggest public relations blunder of all.

Even with the stench of the Mike Rice scandal still in the air and in the wake of athletic director Julie Hermann telling a journalism class that it would be "great" if the state's biggest newspaper, the Star-Ledger, would close down, the New Jersey university has stubbed its toe once again.

Eric LeGrand, the former Rutgers football player whose perseverance after being paralyzed during a 2010 game and has become an inspiration to Rutgers and the entire country, said Monday he was given the chance to talk at the school’s May 18 commencement ceremony, only to have the offer rescinded, according to MyCentralJersey.com. 

Over the weekend, LeGrand believed he would be Rutgers’ commencement speaker —  after Condoleezza Rice bowed out (another fiasco) due to student backlash — and he was called Saturday by Gregory Jackson, chief of staff for Rutgers President Robert Barchi, asking that he speak at the ceremony. 

On Monday, reports say, LeGrand’s phone rang again, this time with Hermann on the line reversing their decision.

“[T]hey decided to go other ways for political reasons,” LeGrand tweeted. 

  

Now — after a weekend of being told to prepare a keynote speech — Le Grand officially is out, and he’s “very upset” about it.

LeGrand was not given a reason, and Monday the school announced former Gov. Thomas Kean would be the keynote speaker.

“I’m very upset about it,” he said. “I was all excited all weekend thinking about what I was going to say. It’s rough.”

Over the weekend, LeGrand envisioned giving a keynote speech to inspire legions of Scarlet Knights students and share his remarkable story — only to have it yanked away.

"I was just going to tell them my story, about the whole process," LeGrand said . "Starting in 2005, being recruited by Rutgers and what it meant to me to play here and go to school here. And then the way everybody supported me through my injury, I was just going to give inspirational words about how they should attack life.

“All the things I've learned so far. All the (graduates), they're my age so I was going to try to (say) words they could remember, words that would inspire them to do great things in life."

Too bad. Maybe Rutgers would have learned something about dignity.

UPDATE: Eric LeGrand will be speaking at the school's 2014 commencement after Rutgers changes its mind due to pressure from RU students and social media.

Eric LeGrand's new ride is a customized, Rutgers-themed minivan (PHOTOS)

Everyone knows Eric LeGrand is a busy guy — whether he's traveling to various appearances or commuting to rehabilitation, the former football star is constantly on the road.

But LeGrand, the former Rutgers defensive tackle who was paralyzed from the neck down making a tackle in a 2010 game, needs a wheelchair accessible minivan to get around — and wanted one with style.

That's where Will Castro, the owner of Unique New Jersey, a company that has appeared on Speed TV and has customized vehicles for an extensive list of athletes and entertainers, including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and rapper 50 Cent, comes in.

LeGrand learned of Castro last year and began following him on social media. After buying a Chrysler Town & Country minivan equipped with a wheelchair lift and ramp in October, LeGrand reached out to Castro for a little upgrade, writes nj.com.

He described what he wanted and Castro and his team took it from there. The result is a matte black exterior with custom rims featuring LeGrand's No. 52 in the center. Castro gutted the interior to increase space for LeGrand's wheelchair and added a state-of-the-art entertainment system, including LED "Rutgers Red" lights and the logo of LeGrand's foundation on the headrests.

"He needs to do appearances, he has to go to therapy, so we wanted to make sure that it was very comfortable for him," Castro said. "I threw a little touch in there with his foundation logo because he does a lot of events and I tied in all the Rutgers colors. We enjoyed working with Eric on the project and we're looking forward to doing some more with the vehicle."

LeGrand has always been a car enthusiast but he had never customized one before.

"I got my first car the year I got hurt," LeGrand said. "I had one I got one day and it got totaled within two hours of getting it. Then I waited two months and I got one in April. I got it in April but I got hurt in October, so I drove it for that amount of time. My mom still actually drives my Nissan Altima."

And LeGrand enjoys the reaction the tricked-out "soccer mom" van gets on the road.

"It's funny because very rarely do you see people in a hooked-up minivan," LeGrand said. "The best is when we stop at a stoplight and people are looking at you like, 'What?!' That's the funniest. But I definitely enjoy it. They did a great job with it. I always wanted my own ride hooked up and now I have this one."

Eric LeGrand doesn't believe that Jadeveon Clowney's hit is 'illegal'

After word spread Monday that Jadeveon Clowney's tackle versus Michigan last season would have been ruled illegal under the new college football rules in place for 2013, and Clowney would probably have been ejected from the game, one man who knows about hard hits came to the defense of the South Carolina star's helmet-popping play.

Eric LeGrand, the former Rutgers football player who is still paralyzed after breaking his neck during a game in 2010, believes that Clowney’s hit was perfectly legal. If anyone could be a spokesperson for more football safety rules, it's LeGrand. So if he is arguing that Clowney’s hit should be considered fair play, then maybe the ACC's Coordinator of Officials Doug Rhoads should see his point of view.

The courageous LeGrand tweeted his brutally honest thoughts on the new rules Tuesday.

There's no way #clowneyhit is illegal. Take it from a guy who broke his neck
— Eric LeGrand (@EricLeGrand52) July 23, 2013

James Gandolfini (1961-2013): Helped raise the profile of Rutgers football

Hollywood might have lost one of its most recognizable leading-men with the stunning and sudden death of James Gandolfini on Wednesday but, at the same time,  Rutgers University lost the celebrity face of its football team with the loss of "The Sopranos" star.

Whether you were from the state of New Jersey or not, you felt like you knew the actor — whose Tony Soprano mafia-boss character had a big appetite for food, life and violence — but it was his gentler real life persona who had a soft spot for his alma mater's one-time struggling football program.

Back in 2001, when the HBO hit The Sopranos was at its height with Gandolfini — an '83 Rutgers alum — the former nightclub bouncer appeared in a Rutgers football commercial with the then Scarlet Knights' head coach Greg Schiano.

The memorable spot was called "The Fan" and went like this:

“This season is gonna be great! Everybody’s talking about it! It’s a program the whole family can get behind,” Gandolfini says while sitting at a table with four other men, including Schiano.

A fan then comes up and asks for an autograph. Gandolini puts his hand out, but the fan gives the pen and paper to Schiano.

“I can’t take you anywhere,” Gandolfini says.

Then in 2002, Gandolfini shot another Rutgers football commercial. This time, Gandolfini tells his friends (real life buddies) they’ll have great tickets to Rutgers games.

“Close, real close,” Gandolfini says of the seats.

The three friends are then shown on the field, but are holding the Scarlet Knight and horse mascots costumes. One of the friends then sarcastically says, “Close, real close.”

The rise of Rutgers football in the mid-90's coincided with the popularity of "The Sopranos" and both helped put New Jersey, Rutgers and Bada-Bing on the pop culture radar screen.

When Rutgers made it to the Insight Bowl in 2005 – which was their  first bowl game in nearly 30 years – they made Gandolfini an honorary captain.

The death of the 51-year-old Gandolfini hit Rutgers and some of its former players hard.

The other well-known face of Rutgers football, former star tackle Eric LeGrand — who was paralyzed from the neck down in a 2010 game against Army — tweeted his (and everyone's) sentiments via Twitter.

RIP James Gandolfini. Crazy
— Eric LeGrand (@EricLeGrand52) June 19, 2013

He was a true Jersey guy who done good.

Eric LeGrand Makes CBS Network Debut In Style

Just over a year ago, Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down after making a tackle against Army.  He was originally told he would never breathe without a ventilator and only given a fraction of a chance of regaining his neurological functions.  Today, the inspirational young man who went to college to become a sports broadcaster made his national network debut on CBS's "College Football Today."

Since LeGrand's unfortunate injury, he has been taking classes and making great progress in his therapy sessions-- as well as-- his chosen field.

Sitting next to the show's host Tim Brando, wearing a stylish, three-piece black suit with a Rutgers pin on the lapel, LeGrand fielded questions with ease and confidence.  And why not?  The well-spoken and insightful LeGrand is already an analyst for the Rutgers Football Radio Network and made his television broadcast debut a couple of weeks ago for SNY as an in-studio analyst.

It's hard not to root for LeGrand-- a young man who knows the game and and takes his passion for the sport from the field to the booth.

Here's a guy who never looked back and asked, "Why me?"  Now he just looks forward and says, "Why not?"