During his decade-long NFL career, Martin Gramatica kicked for four different teams.
Gramatica last appeared in an NFL game in 2008, the second year of his two-year stint with the New Orleans Saints.
Gramatica, now 49, opened up about his past during a sit-down with TMZ to discuss his memoir, “Beyond The Uprights: The Intimate Memoir Of Martin Gramatica.”
Gramatica spoke about what he experienced during his childhood, particularly the strained relationship he had with his father.
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Retired kicker Martin Gramatica of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches pregame ceremonies during a game against the San Francisco 49ers on December 15, 2013 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images))
Super Bowl-winning kicker described his father as 'abusive'
“I had a very abusive father that I'm talking about,” Gramatica told the outlet.
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But he emphasized that he did not speak or write about his past, seeking sympathy.
“I want to make sure that people don't read the book and say, 'Feel sorry for me,' because everything I went through made me a better person and a better father,” Gramatica said.
Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Martin Gramatica runs out of the tunnel before a game against the Cleveland Browns at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on August 29, 2015. (Kim Klement/USA Today Sports)
Gramatica said his father was an example of the type of relationship he did not want to have with his own children.
“It made me know what not to do with my kids. I want to make sure that if someone reads the book and realizes 'I need to break this,' I want someone to realize it sooner than when I did it. I didn't realize how bad it was until I had my first child when Nico was born.
Nico Gramatica is a kicker for the South Florida Bulls.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicker Martin Gramatica makes a 24-yard field goal in the first quarter on August 23, 2003, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
Martin's challenging relationship with his father led to an agreement between Martin and his brothers.
“I love that kid so much that you think, 'How can I do what my father did to me?' “So that's what I feel. I talked to my brothers and we made a pact: we had to break this,” Martin said.
“We haven't talked [to our dad] since then because we simply don't want that kind of abuse in our families. I have three children. My brother Santiago has two children. So, we don't want that 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 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, winning the Super Bowl with the Bucs in 2002.
He finished his professional football career with a field goal percentage of 76.4%.
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