TAMPA, Fla. -- In a symbolic gesture, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand, whose playing career was ended by a spinal cord injury, on Wednesday morning.

LeGrand played for Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano at Rutgers. In a game Oct. 16, 2010, against Army, LeGrand suffered fractures of two vertebrae and a spinal cord injury.

Schiano called LeGrand's mother in New Jersey to let her know of his intention the night before breaking the news to his former player.

"I said, 'Are you serious? You want to do this?' He said: 'It's the least we could do,' " LeGrand said Wednesday during a conference call. "I said, 'I don't even know what to say to you right now, Coach. This is amazing.'

"It's something I always dreamed about, go to the NFL and retire and become a sportscaster," LeGrand added. "Dreams do come true if you really believe. You do the right things in life, good things happen to you. He really just did this out of the kindness of his heart. It's really what he wanted to do. I had no idea this was going to happen."

LeGrand initially was told he would be a quadriplegic and would have to remain on a ventilator.