The Buccaneers' Eric LeGrand announced his retirement Thursday. He was originally signed by the team on May 2.

"Making it to the NFL was my dream. But now I want to see my team as strong as possible at the start of training camp," LeGrand said. "I'm a Buc for life."

LeGrand was honored with the Jimmy V Award for perseverance at the 2012 ESPYs earlier this month. In September, HarperCollins Publishers will release LeGrand's first book, a memoir entitled "Believe: My Faith And The Tackle That Changed My Life." There also will be a young readers version, "Believe: The Victorious Story Of Eric LeGrand."

LeGrand will be placed on Tampa Bay's reserve/retired list.

He was paralyzed from the neck down on Oct. 16, 2010 while tackling an Army kickoff returner while playing under Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano at Rutgers. A junior at the time of his injury, LeGrand would have been a part of the 2012 draft.

As a college player, he recorded 60 tackles, 11 for loss and 2 sacks.

Follow this link:
Buccaneers' LeGrand announces retirement