Professional football players are often looked at as heroes by kids and there have been plenty of instances where players actually get to be a hero in real life.
Such is the case for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who is directly responsible for helping save multiple lives after a helicopter crashed into a body of water near the Peter O. Knight Airport – Davis Islands.
NEWS ALERT | #YourTampaPD responded to the area of the Peter O. Knight Airport – Davis Islands regarding a report of a helicopter submerged in the water. On arrival, officers found a helicopter in the water, approximately 200 yards from shore. pic.twitter.com/HKbKOq5n92
— Tampa Police Department (@TampaPD) December 29, 2022
The Tampa Police Department tweeted out the news Thursday evening. The Tampa Bay Times initially wrote about the situation, but there was initially no mention of Gabbert. The 10th-year quarterback was brought into the picture early Friday morning when FOX Sports‘ Greg Auman mentioned Gabbert’s involvement on Twitter.
Later on, the Times’ Rick Stroud updated the website’s initial post with the details regarding Gabbert:
“Among the bystanders who helped rescue the family from the water was Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who was on a personal watercraft at the time.”
NEWS ALERT | #YourTampaPD responded to the area of the Peter O. Knight Airport – Davis Islands regarding a report of a helicopter submerged in the water. On arrival, officers found a helicopter in the water, approximately 200 yards from shore. pic.twitter.com/HKbKOq5n92
— Tampa Police Department (@TampaPD) December 29, 2022
One of the survivors, 28-year-old Hunter Hupp, said the helicopter had to make an emergency landing. It didn’t take long for the vehicle to become submerged, but the worst part is Hupp was still inside as it continued to sink into the water. He thinks he was under water “between 45 seconds to a minute”, per the Times’ article.
Fortunately, Hupp, his father and mother, and the pilot all survived. It’s currently unclear as to how involved Gabbert was, but it’s clear he was involved enough to save these people’s lives, which is pretty remarkable in its own right.
