Former Steelers LB Ryan Shazier Shares Heartbreaking Details About His Injury In 2017

Pittsburgh Steelers legendary linebacker, Ryan Shazier has become an inspiration to people all over the world after his spinal cord injury. Now Shazier is speaking out about the incident and the immediate aftermath. 

Shazier was a first-round draft pick for the Steelers in 2014 out of Ohio State. He was having an incredible career being selected to the Pro Bowl in 2016. Then on December 4, 2017, during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Shazier was unable to get up after making a tackle. The whole nation held their breath as it appeared Shazier could not move his legs. 

Immediately an outpouring of support came from people all over the country - regardless of their fandom. It appeared most of us realized what Shazier apparently did not, this injury was serious. 

Steelers' Shazier Relives The Night Of His Injury

Shazier appeared on his former quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger's podcast, Footbahlin' With Ben Roethlisberger, where he discussed the injury from his perspective. 

"I was in denial when I got hurt because I never seen nobody get a spinal cord injury on a football field. To me, I feel like I was one of the best players in the world at my position and the best players in the world don't get hurt that bad. In my head, I'm saying I probably got a stinger, but it's in my back or something. That's my mindset, because you know if you get a stinger in your arm, your arm goes numb. Then after being in the hospital for a while, I was like yeah, I'm pretty jacked up." 

Shazier goes on to relate a story about how he had a cousin visiting and wasn't feeling well. He said he got sick and vomited in his bed and when he couldn't even move out of the way of his own vomit, he knew it was time to get out of denial. He said that is when his mindset shifted towards focusing on recovery.

"I already knew I was gonna get better, but it clicked in my head, 'Ryan, you need to tighten all the way up and really focus on getting better right now.' From that moment on, I tried to stay as positive as I could and one thing that really helped is that people constantly came."

Shazier said his hospital room was never empty. He said everyone from owner Art Rooney II, to Kevin Colbert, the former general manager, Head Coach Mike Tomlin, Roethlisberger, and other teammates all came. He said they were holding linebacker meetings from his room. Having so many visitors helped boost his spirits and made him feel less alone.

Roethlisberger asked him if he felt pain when he made the tackle. 

"No, it was just weird because I just tackled him and I just dropped. In my back was just like a burning sensation. I just couldn't feel anything."

It is no surprise to anyone who listened to the interview that Shazier was thinking about someone else before he was worried about himself. He was concerned about picking up the dog he had promised his then-fiancée, now wife, Michelle. 

"The first thing that came to my mind was, really this is so stupid, but the next day I had bought Michelle a dog for Christmas and I was supposed to pick it up from the airport. In my head, I'm like, man I'm hurt, I'm not gonna be able to get this dog." 

Shazier benefited from the team's neurosurgeon being present for that away game. Shazier recalls Dr. David Okonkwo being in the ambulance with him.

"I didn't know how bad it was. We were in the ambulance and I kept asking Dr. Okonkwo, 'How much longer do you think it is until I get back?'"

Shazier was incredibly blessed to have such excellent doctors around him. Just like we learned from the Damar Hamlin cardiac arrest, there is almost no better place to be than on a football field when you have a medical emergency. It is certain that with the quick response from the NFL doctors and the physicians at the hospital in Cincinnati that Shazier was able to make the progress he did. 

While Shazier says he always knew he would walk again, others were not so sure, spinal cord injuries can be unpredictable. Shazier let his faith guide him and applied the same hard work and dedication he used to make the pros. He was able to walk down the aisle 17 months after the injury to marry Michelle. And you'll be glad to know they still got the dog, and aptly named it "Shay." 

What were you thinking when you saw Shazier go down that night? Did you think he would ever be able to walk again? Click to comment below.

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