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Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert became a hero off the field Thursday when he helped rescue victims of a helicopter crash.<\/p>\n
Gabbert was jet skiing in Hillsborough Bay with his brothers Brett and Tyler when he heard “a faint noise” nearby.<\/p>\n
At a press conference, he said, “It looked like a crewed boat that had broken into four pieces in the water,” adding that life jackets were also visible.<\/p>\n
“We raced over there,” he said, realizing it wasn’t the crew’s boat. It was the wreckage of a helicopter, with the pilot and three passengers on board, crashing into the bay.<\/p>\n
Gabbert called 911 and successfully rescued two of the victims on a jet ski, but one of his brothers helped a third victim as a first responder saved the pilot.<\/p>\n
“Helicopters sink very quickly,” passenger Hunter Happ, who was flying with his parents, told Fox Sports. “We learned that pretty quickly.”<\/p>\n
He believes his mother was one of the pair rescued by the quarterback.<\/p>\n
“My mom said she wanted to meet Tom Brady while we were here,” he said, referring to the famous Bucks starting quarterback. increase.”<\/p>\n
According to ESPN, Gabbert received a text message from Bucks general manager Jason Licht within about 45 minutes of the rescue, and the news quickly spread.<\/p>\n
“I honestly wanted to remain anonymous,” he told the network, noting that credit for the rescue goes to first responders. I thought, I’m not a man to be in the spotlight.<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay Police Officer Dan Spears told CBS News that when first responders arrived, Gabbert and his brother “were actually almost done with the rescue.”<\/p>\n
The department made Gabbert an honorary member of its Marine Corps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n