Gaitor gives back

With a noteworthy start to his NFL career, former FIU and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive back Anthony Gaitor ’11 has welcomed himself quite well to professional football.

On Thursday night, Aug. 18, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Gaitor will do another type of welcoming as he has invited the late Kendall Berry’s family to watch the Buccaneers take on the New England Patriots in an NFL exhibition game.

Photo courtesy John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star

The game will be Gaitor’s first NFL home game and he wanted the family of his former FIU teammate to be in attendance. So, Berry’s parents, Derrick and Mellissicia Spillman, and their daughter will travel 45 minutes from their Haines City home to watch Gaitor and the Bucs.

“It’s a very nice gesture by Anthony to invite our family to the game,” Mellissicia said. “We talk to him and several FIU players on a weekly basis. We’re very excited and proud of him and the Panthers. Anthony is doing a good job to start his NFL career.”

Gaitor, drafted in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay, has emerged as a productive cornerback and special teams player. In his NFL debut last Friday against Kansas City, Gaitor recorded a sack, broke up a pass and, on another play, stopped Chiefs quarterback Ricky Stanzi short of a first down.

Already energized by playing his first game in front of the Bucs’ fans on Thursday night, Gaitor is even more motivated to perform well in front of a family he has grown close to.

“I invited the Berry family because it’s just a way of me showing them I haven’t forgotten about them,” Gaitor said. “It’s the little things in life that count. Mrs. Spillman texts me every day with Bible scriptures that give me motivation to start my day. It’s just a blessing for me to still have a relationship with the family.”

For Mellissicia, seeing her favorite NFL team, the Bucs, is nice. Derrick is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. However, both look forward to not only seeing an NFL game, but to watching Gaitor in an NFL uniform. Later in the fall, the family will drive down to Miami and watch several FIU games.

“We watch a lot of Anthony’s games,” Mellissicia said. “We want to support him. We also want to keep supporting the Panthers. We plan on going to FIU games this year. There are a lot of nice people there.”

— By Pete Pelegrin, FIU Media Relations. For more on FIU Sports, check out The Prowl, the official FIU Sports blog.