Suffering a serious spine injury has not changed Ryan Shazier’s goal of making the Hall of Fame.
Shazier joined his Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Roosevelt Nix on his podcast that was released on Tuesday. In their conversation, the two talked about Shazier’s recovery from a serious injury suffered during a Monday night game against the Bengals on Dec. 4.
Shazier told Nix that he is doing two hours of rehab, five days a week, and that doctors and therapists are raving about the progress he’s making.
“The therapists are like, ‘Man this is crazy; I’ve never seen anyone work this hard.’ They almost see progression every day,” Shazier said, as transcribed by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ed Bouchette.
“They say like some progressions they see week to week , they see from me day to day.”
Shazier showed some fire and complained that he was left off the Pro Bowl team. He says he has been fueled by that snub. Shazier also said he still
“Since I’ve been in college, I really wanted to go to the Hall of Fame,” Shazier told Nix. “I still want to go to the Hall of Fame. All my goals are like making me want to go to the Hall of Fame.”
Maintaining those goals should help Shazier in his recovery. Nobody knows how much progress he will be able to make in his therapy sessions, but it’s clear he will be doing everything he can to get back to full strength as soon as possible.
Audio of the full interview is below:
Ryan Shazier has made great progress since he suffered a devastating spinal injury just two months ago, but the Steelers linebacker is still unable to walk without assistance.
On Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Shazier has regained movement in his legs and has been taking part in a regular walking routine. NBC sideline reporter Michele Tafoya later clarified that Shazier is still unable to walk on his own and either uses a walker or has people support him, and Shazier confirmed those details.
Shazier began inpatient rehabilitation therapy on Dec. 6, which was two days after he suffered a spinal injury while making a routine tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was released from the rehab facility on Thursday.
Shazier was able to attend one of the Steelers’ practices last month, which was a good sign. His father has also provided some encouraging updates about the 25-year-old’s motor skills, so hopefully the progress keeps coming.
Ryan Shazier has made tremendous progress since suffering a spinal injury in early December, and the Pittsburgh Steelers has reportedly regained movement in his legs.
Sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Shazier has been taking part in a regular walking routine and is “making incredible progress.” The next three to six months will be critical in determining how much more mobility he can gain, but all signs have been positive for the 25-year-old over the past two months.
Shazier began inpatient rehabilitation therapy on Dec. 6, which was two days after he suffered a spinal injury while making a routine tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was released from the rehab facility on Thursday.
Shazier was able to attend one of the Steelers’ practices last month, which was a good sign. His father has also provided some encouraging updates about the 25-year-old’s motor skills, so hopefully the progress keeps coming.
Ryan Shazier is still a long way away from being able to think about playing football again, but the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker took yet another positive step in his recovery this week.
On Thursday, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center announced that Shazier has been released from their rehabilitation facility and will continue with an outpatient therapy program.
Shazier began the inpatient therapy on Dec. 6, so he has obviously come a long way in the past two months. He suffered a scary spinal injury on Dec. 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals and later had to undergo surgery.
Shazier was able to attend one of the Steelers’ practices last month, which was a good sign. His father has also provided some encouraging updates about the 25-year-old’s motor skills, so hopefully the progress keeps coming.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should be feeling as hyped up as possible for their upcoming playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they got an added boost on Wednesday from a team leader who will not be able to take the field on Sunday.
Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, who has been out for over a month now, was able to join the team at practice for the first time since he suffered a spinal injury. He shared an emotional post about it on Instagram.
“I want to thank the Lord for the first downs that he has been allowing me to achieve. The touchdown is going to come in his timing, but today was a first down. I was finally able to make it to practice with my teammates,” Shazier wrote. “It’s great to be back for practices and meetings. Just to be able to feel a part of it means the world. So I’m working harder than I ever have to get back. Ive been making strides over the past month and continue to make progress. Taking it day-by-day, but I’m far from done. The Lord has not finished his work yet. I want to say thank you to the fans and Steelers Nation for the prayers. If it wasn’t for my family, friends and your prayers I wouldn’t be were I am now. They have lifted me and my family through this journey and I ask for you to continue praying for me, as I continue to work daily on improving my health. #Shalieve#Steelers#prayfor50”
Shazier has been making progress since he underwent spine surgery last month, though it remains unclear if and when he will be able to play football again. The 25-year-old’s father recently shared an encouraging update.
While the Steelers would love to have Shazier on the field as they try to capture a championship, his mere presence at practice must be a big help for his teammates.
There is some really good news on the Ryan Shazier front.
Shazier’s father, Vernon, did an interview with WPXI in Pittsburgh that was published on Thursday in which he talked about the importance of faith in his son’s recovery.
Included in the article is the claim from WPXI that Shazier can now feel his legs.
“He’s making progress daily,” Vernon Shazier told WPXI. “He’s a long ways from the night when he was laying on the field.”
Even better, Shazier’s father believes his son will play football again.
Shazier was injured in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 4. He suffered a spine injury and was taken to the hospital in Cincinnati for examination. He eventually was transferred to Pittsburgh and underwent spine stabilization surgery.
Getting him back on the field is probably the last thing the Steelers are worried about; they’re probably most concerned with making sure he regains his health. Things seem to be moving in the right direction, which is a great sign.
Ryan Shazier has been making progress since he underwent spinal surgery for an injury he suffered earlier this month, but it is clear the Steelers linebacker has a long way to go before he can think about possibly returning to the football field.
Shazier’s father, Vernon, spoke with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler this week, and he said the Shazier family has been encouraged by Ryan’s recovery but is trying not to look too far ahead.
“We have seen some improvement that is encouraging,” Vernon said. “We’re taking it one day at a time. We do not know what tomorrow holds. It’s a [daily] journey we don’t know. But I know God is getting the message.
“We’re praying for healing and keeping our mind and faith strong. We know we’re in a deep valley, but we do not feel alone. … It’s easy to be faithful in a storm, but we’re not talking about a drizzle. We’re talking about a hurricane, a category 5 [hurricane], lots of metaphors to describe it.”
Vernon Shazier is an NFL chaplain, and it is clear that religion is a very important part of his family’s life. He declined to get into specifics about Ryan’s injury, but he said the prayers and well-wishes from across the country have not gone unnoticed.
“You’ve got little kids that are praying for him. He has over a million people praying for him,” Vernon said. “It’s coming from so many different sources. … I got an email from a kid who has a medical issue, where Ryan has touched his heart. You have kids wishing Ryan gets better for Christmas. It’s keeping us up.”
Shazier was announced this week as one of eight Pro Bowl players for the Steelers. Vernon said that was one of his son’s goals for the 2017 season, and he is still hoping his team accomplishes the other, which is winning a Super Bowl.
It was a great sign to see Shazier all smiles at Pittsburgh’s game last weekend. He’s just 25, so time is on his side. But with an injury as serious as the one he suffered, football isn’t at the forefront of Shazier’s mind. Here’s hoping he can make a full recovery.
The Pittsburgh Steelers had an unexpected guest in attendance for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, and fans could not have been happier about it.
During the first quarter, Ryan Shazier was shown on the big screen at Heinz Field. The Steelers linebacker had a big smile on his face and was clapping enthusiastically.
Shazier recently underwent spinal surgery, so the fact that doctors even allowed him to leave the hospital was a great sign. He has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Tracy Wilson of CBS said Shazier had a defensive play book in his hand, and many Steelers players had no idea he would be in attendance.
The Steelers were able to FaceTime with Shazier following their win in Week 14, and some players paid tribute to him during pregame warmups last week and this week.
The Pittsburgh Steelers had Ryan Shazier on their mind — and in their locker room (sort of) after their comeback win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night that clinched the division.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after Pittsburgh’s 39-38 win over AFC North rival Baltimore that they FaceTimed Shazier after the game.
Shazier is in the hospital recovering from a spinal injury suffered during Monday night’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Shazier is one of the leaders of Pittsburgh’s defense, and they struggled playing without him as they gave up 38 points.
In addition to the FaceTime call, Ben Roethlisberger also sent a nice shoutout to Shazier during his postgame interview with NBC. Before the game, the Steelers had other tributes to their linebacker.
The Pittsburgh Steelers most certainly had beloved teammate Ryan Shazier in mind prior to their game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
Veteran linebacker James Harrison went out for pregame warmups without a shirt on as an homage to Shazier:
The Steelers are also wearing cleats paying tribute to the linebacker:
Shazier suffered a serious spine injury in the team’s Monday night game against the Bengals, which was particularly brutal and resulted in multiple injuries to players on both teams. Though the prognosis on Shazier turned out to be much better than initially feared, the linebacker is out for the season and will likely need months of recovery.
