“I made him recreate the big hit,” Mike explains. Together Eric and Mike will write Eric’s book Believe: My Faith and the Tackle that Changed My Life.ĭuring a game against Army, Eric, a standout-defensive tackle for Rutgers, was injured in a tackle during a kick-off return. Mike went to Newark in April 2012 to capture in person the journey the LeGrand family has traveled since a traumatic football hit paralyzed Eric from the neck down on October 16, 2010. It is the story of Eric’s paralysis, and instantaneous shift in his life’s trajectory, that brought Mike across the country to spend four days visiting the LeGrand home. Mike has come to help Eric write his story, and he will gently guide him through some of the darkest places he’ll be forced to revisit. “I just lay my hand on top of his hand,” Mike remembers, and it is in that moment of connection a silent vow is made. As he walks over to where Eric sits in his wheelchair, Mike extends a hand of greeting and realizes the only gesture Eric can offer in return is a smile.

After a lengthy flight from California to Newark, Mike Yorkey makes his way into an apartment bedroom to introduce himself to Eric LeGrand.

Eric legrand book