During his decade NFL careerMartin Grammatica kicked for four different teams.
Grammatica last appeared in an NFL game in 2008, the second year of his two-year tenure. New Orleans Saints.
Now 49, Grammatica opened up during a session with TMZ to discuss his memoir, “Beyond the Uprights: The Intimate Memoir of Martin Grammatica.”
Grammatica spoke openly about what she experienced during her childhood, especially her strained relationship with her father.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers retired kicker Martin Grammatica watches pregame ceremonies during the game against the San Francisco 49ers on December 15, 2013 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
The Super Bowl-winning kicker described his father as “abusive.”
“I had a very abusive father that I talk about,” Grammatica told the outlet.
But he stressed that he did not talk or write about his past in search of sympathy.
“I want to make sure people don’t read the book and say, ‘Feel sorry for me,’ because everything I’ve been through has made me a better person and made me a better father,” Grammatica said. ” said Grammatica.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Martin Grammatica runs out of the tunnel before a game against the Cleveland Browns on August 29, 2015 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. (Kim Clement/USA TODAY Sports)
Grammatica said her father set an example of the kind of relationship he did not want to have with his children.
“It taught me what not to do with my kids. I want to make sure that if someone reads a book and feels like, ‘I’ve got to break it,’ and I want someone to I didn’t realize how bad it was until my first son Nico was born.”
Nico is a placekicker for Gramatica. South Florida Bulls.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Martin Grammatica goes for a first quarter, 24-yard field goal on August 23, 2003 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
Martin’s difficult relationship with his father led to a truce between Martin and his siblings.
“I love this kid so much that you’re thinking, ‘How could I ever do what my father did to me?’ So, I think I talked to my brothers, and we made a deal,” Martin noted.
“We didn’t talk. [to our dad] Because we just don’t want that kind of abuse around our families. I have three children. My brother Santiago has two children. Therefore, we do not want it around our children. That’s what the book is about.”
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Gramatica kicked for Kansas State before making the jump to the NFL in 1999. He spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with him. Tampa Bay BuccaneersWinning the Super Bowl with the Bucs in 2002.
He finished his professional football career with a career field goal percentage of 76.4%.
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