Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive lineman Ted Larsen came to the unlikely rescue of three teens stranded in choppy waters in the Gulf of Mexico, the St. Petersburg Times reported Thursday.
The rookie heard the coast guard signal that a boat was in distress while out fishing with his girlfriend Wednesday afternoon.
Realizing he was close to the scene, he headed toward the nearby Honeymoon Island and found two teens clinging to a kayak and another in a second kayak.
"It could have been a big deal. You always read about overturned kayaks," Larsen said. "It was good to help them. It just felt it was a good thing to do."
Larsen said he gladly went entirely unrecognized while taking the group and their kayaks to shore, with the trio unaware of its high-profile rescuer.
"They were just glad to have their parents' kayaks back and not sunk," he told the paper.
The professional football player said he doesn't consider himself a hero and he's just happy this story had a happy ending."That's an important lesson they learned," he said. "You've got be aware of the weather. The ocean can turn on you."
The rookie heard the coast guard signal that a boat was in distress while out fishing with his girlfriend Wednesday afternoon.
Realizing he was close to the scene, he headed toward the nearby Honeymoon Island and found two teens clinging to a kayak and another in a second kayak.
"It could have been a big deal. You always read about overturned kayaks," Larsen said. "It was good to help them. It just felt it was a good thing to do."
Larsen said he gladly went entirely unrecognized while taking the group and their kayaks to shore, with the trio unaware of its high-profile rescuer.
"They were just glad to have their parents' kayaks back and not sunk," he told the paper.
The professional football player said he doesn't consider himself a hero and he's just happy this story had a happy ending."That's an important lesson they learned," he said. "You've got be aware of the weather. The ocean can turn on you."
