A Super Bowl champion quarterback is considered a hero. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Blaine Gabbert of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers helped rescue four people when a helicopter crashed into a body of water near Peter O. Knight Airport in Tampa, Fla. on Thursday. He came to the aid of 28-year-old Hunter Hupp, his 62-year-old father, his 59-year-old mother and the pilot who is 33 years old. All four occupants suffered no injuries.
Gabbert spoke to the media about the incident on Friday. He was riding on a jet ski at 5 p.m. local time when the helicopter made an emergency landing in the water due to engine failure. The helicopter, which was 200 yards away from Davis Island, began to sink as Hupp freed himself from underneath his seatbelt. That’s when Hupp and the other three saw a pair of jet skiers, one of whom was Gabbert.
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“They slowly brought us back to the shore, a sandy beach near the yacht club, and hung out for a while, were really nice,” Hupp told Fox Sports. “We exchanged pleasantries upon reaching flat ground. They were really an asset to helping us out, because we were the only ones out there for a while. It was a handshake and a huge and ‘Thank you so much.’ They went out for a nice afternoon ride and just happened to come upon a stranded helicopter family.”
Gabbert, 33, has been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2019 and is the backup quarterback for Tom Brady. He has not played in a game this season but has seen action in a total of 10 games in 2020 and 2021. In those 10 games, Gabber completed 59.3% of his passes and threw for 2010 yards and two touchdowns. He was part of the 2020 team that beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
In 2011, Gabbert was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 10 overall in the NFL Draft. He was with the team for three seasons and posted a 5-22 record while throwing for 4,357 yards, 22 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. In 2014, Gabbert was traded to the San Francisco 49ers and spent three seasons with the team. Gabbert then signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2017 and then joined the Tennessee Titans in 2018.
