Eric LeGrand Goes From Breathless and Motionless to Nearly Unstoppable On 2/24/21 at 11:20 PM EST An awkward collision on a routine play left Eric LeGrand motionless on the turf at MetLife Stadium 10 years ago in New Jersey. He was wide awake, but he couldn't move and he couldn't breathe. When paramedics asked if he was ok, he could only say one thing. "I can't breathe," LeGrand said. Although he said it as loud as he could, it came out as only a whisper. He spoke through gasped breath again: "I can't breathe." His collegiate coach at Rutgers, Greg Schiano, knelt by LeGrand's side and told his defensive tackle, "E, you have to pray right now."