Steelers' Ramon Foster With A Revealing Look At His "Why Am I Still Here" Moments

Pittsburgh Steelers players and all other NFL players put their health and well-being on the line every time they step onto the field. Over the past several seasons, these health and injury concerns have increased in the spotlight. Unfortunate incidents like Ryan Shazier's spinal cord injury and Damar Hamlin's commotion cordis were watched by millions of people and raised questions about the safety of the sport.

In addition, to the brutal and scary injuries like Shazier and Hamlin, there are many other more silent injuries. Concussions, in particular, are something that has become more of a concern, especially after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was unconscious on the field. In Pittsburgh, concerns are being voiced with both Kenny Pickett and Pat Freiermuth having had multiple concussions. These events are truly terrifying because the damage often reveals itself after the NFL career is over in the form of CTE. So by continuing to play and risk increasing the damage, how much of their future are they destroying?

The discussion surrounding these injuries has been a mostly positive one, with the NFL working to find ways to better protect players on the field. Those protections include things like concussion-preventing helmets and rule changes that work to keep everyone safe. Regardless, there are still players who feel like it isn't worth it. 

Steelers' Ramon Foster On His "Why Am I Here?" Moments

Ramon Foster spent 11 seasons in the NFL, all of them in Pittsburgh. Now he co-hosts a popular Steelers-themed podcast called, The Ramon Foster Show, with reporter Dejan Kovacevic. The show airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports and covers a wide variety of topics. On a recent episode, Kovacevic asked Foster about his "Why am I still here?" NFL moments. 

Kovacevic pointed out that Foster was on the field when Shazier received his spinal cord injury when he was tackled during a Cincinnati Bengals game. Since he watched his friend and teammate be carted off by an ambulance, not knowing if he would ever walk again, it is easy to assume that was the top moment. Foster said that was definitely one of them, but there were numerous times. 

"I'm running through numerous times in my mind right now. I always talk about that injection I had in my neck, and after so catching those stingers before we figured out what was going on. I was like, 'Is this worth it?' It hit me, you got to give a lot to this game, but it takes a lot to actually play this game too. Which is why players get super defensive when they're criticized."

Foster also says that fans don't realize that the toll that is taken isn't just on the players, but also on their families. They have to watch the player suffer injuries, and worry about their long-term health, all while losing the majority of the year to a game that consumes all of their waking time. It is easy to point out how well they get paid, but something can't be bought, such as time with your family or good health. Foster also notes that for him, the issue of being appreciated for what he was doing was a factor.  

"Every time I had those questions, every time we visited something serious like an injury, the mental turmoil of trying to figure out do I belong came up. Will I be re-signed? Am I appreciated? When you play the game, you get a number and then you're out, so if you don't get a ring or accolades, it's like well hell, was I just another body? Every time I had those serious questions or doubts, I always fall back to, 'Man, I love this game.'" 

He and Kovacevic bring up that it is easy, and justified, to point out how traumatic the injury to Shazier was because it was so scary. He said that when Shazier went down, he and his teammates were all looking at each other asking, "Why the f*** am I here?" Foster said that you have got to love the game to be able to do it. It isn't for everyone.

"You see the sacrifices that other players are making or you can call it, 'drinking the Kool-Aid,' but Shay [Ryan Shazier] would say, 'Y'all better get out there and play.' In order to play at the highest level and be a part of that one percent upper echelon side of the game, you got to love and care, and it draws you back into it." 

There are other injuries and damage that occur that many people are not even fully aware of. That can be just as upsetting to watch. They both point out Maurkice Pouncey and how he nearly lost his leg. 

Pouncey suffered a broken fibula, which required surgery during a preseason game in 2015. The wound did not heal properly and ultimately got a staph infection. It basically cost him the entire season. Despite losing the season, Pouncey was fortunate to keep his leg. Multiple procedures, IV antibiotics, and skin grafts prevented that from happening. Foster and Pouncey were extremely close and Foster found the potential loss of a limb as a result of a freak on-field accident terrifying.  

"I've gotten a lot from it, my family's gotten a lot from it. Did it hurt us in some capacities, personal and professional? Yeah, it did. But it's a part of our story."

Kovacevic says that idea of Foster's "story" is something that he personally witnessed when he was a player. He said that he always knew what Foster's ultimate goal was, to win a Super Bowl. Unfortunately, that dream wasn't realized. Foster did get to play in a Super Bowl when the Steelers went in 2010, but they lost to the Green Bay Packers. Regardless, he saw the passion Foster had for the game and the approval he sought as a player who came into the league undrafted.   

"My story was cool, and truthfully even though I joke about the undrafted stuff, other than the signing bonus, ain't much I would have changed about it. My pathway was only meant for me. The struggles that I had, had I been whisked into a first-round, first-day type or even just drafted in general, I don't know how much longer I would have lasted. I don't know if the appreciation would have been there."

What do you think about safety in the NFL? Do you think the league is doing enough to protect players? Where do you think the line in the sand should be between the protection of players and the inherent risk they take on just by playing? Click to comment below. 

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