Former Jacksonville Jaguars first-round pick Blaine Gabbert is being lauded as a hero for his help to save the passengers of a helicopter that made an emergency water landing in Tampa.
On Thursday evening, a helicopter with four people inside was forced to land 200 yards from the shore near Davis Islands, an archipelago in Tampa.
Gabbert, 33, was among a group of good samaritans who quickly arrived on jet skis to help the passengers get to shore.
“We raced over there, the youngest kid had just come up and said he was pinned in there and I asked if anyone else was trapped,” Gabbert explained Friday. “Then I called 9-1-1 and tried to remain as calm as possible. But it all turned positive, they were healthy, scared, nervous, but it was a pretty crappy situation that turned good in the end. So I was just right place, right time, I guess.”
After a helicopter crashed into the bay yesterday, @BlaineGabbert and his brothers, who were on jet skis, were instrumental in the rescue. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/sg2pD1MM4Q
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 30, 2022
The Jaguars picked Gabbert with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, but was traded to the San Francisco 49ers after three unsuccessful seasons in Jacksonville. He has since become a reliable backup quarterback and has spent the last three seasons backing up Tom Brady with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.