AdventHealth Tampa (3100 E. Fletcher Ave. at Bruce B. Downs Blvd.) got a special visit Friday from a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star two days before the team kicked off the 2024 NFL season.
Super Bowl winner Martin Gramรกtica stopped by to greet hundreds of doctors, nurses, and clinicians. The former Bucs kicker took time to sign autographs, take photos and show his appreciation for the hard work front-line health care workers do every day.
AdventHealth is the exclusive hospital of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Gramรกtica said he was happy โ and honored โ to represent the Bucs while greeting the AdventHealth Tampa team.
โIโm just here representing the Bucs to say โThank youโ to all of the men and women who sacrifice so much to take care of us when weโre not doing well.โ
Gramรกtica, who also is the VP of Business Development for Life Guard Imaging, said that it was just a โhappy coincidenceโ that he made his appearance at the hospitalโs Pepin Heart Institute. โLife Guard is just an imaging center,โ he said. โThis is where you go to be taken care of when we find something wrong with you that needs to be addressed. People look up to football players, but these people are the real heroes.โ
As for what he thinks about the Bucs โ who open the season at this afternoon at 4:25 p.m. against the Washington Commanders at Raymond James Stadium โ this year, when many so-called experts believe the team isnโt playoff caliber, Gramรกtica said, โI donโt know about that. Iโm really excited about our chances. We had a really good year last year and when you bring guys like (quarterback) Baker (Mayfield) and (wide receiver) MIke (Evans) back, and add some young talent, you never know what can happen. Everyone starts the year 0-0 and every team is one injury away from not being good, so we just have to stay healthy and I think weโre gonna be good.โ
