When the bomb blasts went off near the finish line at the Boston Marathon on Monday, former New England Patriots offensive lineman Joe Andruzzi, who was there for an event to raise money for cancer research, jumped into action.
A photo the New England Patriots circulating on Twitter shows Andruzzi carrying a woman after the blast.
Andruzzi tweeted that he and his wife are fine and issued a statement to ESPN, saying that the spotlight should not be on him. It should be on the first responders and runners, who he said are the true heroes.
“The spotlight should remain firmly on the countless individuals -- first responders, medics, EMTs, runners who crossed the finish line and kept on running straight to give blood, and the countless civilians who did whatever they could to save lives. They were the true heroes. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by this senseless tragedy," the statement to ESPN says.
Andruzzi is a cancer survivor and president of the Joe Andruzzi Foundation, which raises money for cancer patients and their families and funds pediatric brain cancer research. The foundation had a team of runners in the marathon and had an event at Forum, on Boylston Street near the site of the second explosion.
Andruzzi has three brothers who are New York City firefighters and responded to the 9/11 attacks.
Andruzzi, a former Southern Connecticut State University All-American, was with the Patriots from 2000 to 2004 and contributed to three Super Bowl wins.
Former @patriots player @andruzzi63 helping an injured woman after blasts.Pic from Getty Images. twitter.com/Tim_Caputo/sta…
— Tim Caputo (@Tim_Caputo) April 16, 2013
Our thoughts & prayers are with all the victims and their families impacted at today's Boston Marathon.TY to all our emergency personnel.
— Joe Andruzzi (@Andruzzi63) April 15, 2013
Photo Credit: Boston Globe via Getty Images