Retired NFL kicker Martin Gramatica shares heart-wrenching details about 'abusive father'

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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. 

Now 49, Gramatica opened up about his past during a sitdown with TMZ to discuss his memoir, "Beyond The Uprights: The Intimate Memoir Of Martin Gramatica."

Gramatica opened up about what he experienced during his childhood, particularly the tense 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 Dec. 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 speak about,' Gramatica told the outlet.

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But he stressed he didn't talk or write about his past, seeking sympathy. 

"I want to make sure people don't read the book and say, ‘Feel sorry for me,’ because everything that I lived, it made me a better person and made me 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, Fla., Aug. 29, 2015. (Kim Klement/USA Today Sports)

Gramatica said his father provided 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