LAS VEGAS — Blaine Gabbert has given new meaning to the term “emergency quarterback.”
On December 29, 2022, Gabbert and his two brothers were jet skiing in Hillsboro Bay near their home in Tampa when they heard a “pop” that turned out to be the sound of a sinking internal combustion engine. It turns out that there is something.
A helicopter carrying a pilot and three family members on a sightseeing tour makes an emergency splashdown without them noticing, and when our quick-thinking heroes arrive on the scene, the four passengers surface. I was just treading water.
“We just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” Gabbert said Wednesday while preparing for the 2024 Super Bowl. “Fortunately for everyone involved, everything went as smoothly as possible. There were no injuries.”
Gabbert, 34, is a backup to the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, not a No. 3 or so-called “emergency quarterback” in football parlance, and will likely remain in the shadows against the 49ers on Sunday.
But he had already found success at the most important moment in his life, when he was backing up Tom Brady with the Buccaneers.
“I didn’t know what it was, but when I got out of the marina I saw a rotor in the water, which you don’t normally see,” Gabbert told the Post. Ta. “It looked like a crew rowing a boat. Luckily we were relatively close, so we passed them. We could see the oil slick. Things happened a little quickly, but… We solved everything.”
Police said at the time that the helicopter lost power after a loud bang.
Passenger Hunter Happ told WFTS-TV that the plane filled with water within 15 seconds and he thought, “I’m going to die in that helicopter.”
“You never know how you’ll react in a situation like that, but if you’re a decent human being, you’ll help another human being in need,” Gabbert said. “I was raised to be a good person. I don’t even think about what’s going on. I just act and do it. My instincts take over.”
Gabbert loaded two passengers on his jet ski, one of his brothers loaded on their jet ski, the pilot grabbed onto a rope provided by the quarterback, and a sheriff’s vessel rescued them “very quickly.” Participated in activities.
By then, Gabbert had called 911, first telling the operator that the passenger was safe.
Although he lost contact with the Hupp family soon after, this “surreal experience” still lives on in Gabbert’s memory.
The newspaper’s call to Hunter Hupp was not immediately returned.
The Gabberts often go out to the bay, but that day was a bit of fate.
“Luckily it was a nice day in December, so I was like, ‘Let’s go out and have fun,'” he said. “If it’s 50 degrees, you can’t go out to sea.”
Gabbert drove the survivors to a nearby beach, where firefighters were able to treat them. Police described the Gabberts’ heroic act as a “quite impressive feat.”
“The sooner we can get warm and safe, the better,” Gabbert said. “I hope the family is doing well.”
