Ryan Shazier was blazing hot after he left the Ohio State football squad. A lot of front offices had an interest in acquiring him through the 2014 NFL Draft. One of those was the Cincinnati Bengals who were hoping to help Coach Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton. In the mind of the linebacker, there are a lot of things to be thankful for and one of them was not getting drafted by the Bengals. He unveiled why the call with the Pittsburgh Steelers gave him a sigh of relief that night in his latest statement, via The Brian Hess Show.

“I didn’t want to get drafted to Cincinnati, because they didn’t have an indoor practice facility. It gets cold in Ohio, and they don’t have an indoor practice facility,” Ryan Shazier said about the Bengals' infrastructure.

Andy Dalton and Marvin Lewis had a fair system before the season started. But, Shazier just did not want to endure the same situation he faced in the Ohio State football program.

Article Continues Below
More Cincinnati Bengals News
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) celebrates after the game-winning touchdown pass to Tee Higgins in overtime of the NFL Week 17 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024. The Bengals took a 30-24 win in overtime to remain in the post season chase.
Joe Burrow takes blame for 2024 Bengals failure despite NFL-leading statsBen Strauss ·
Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) takes to the field prior to the Ravens' game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in an AFC wild card game.
Ravens’ Marlon Humphrey trolls Bengals over Shemar Stewart’s rookie holdoutJosh Davis ·
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor next to a silhouette of an American football player with a big question mark emoji inside. There is also a logo for the Cincinnati Bengals.
1 Cincinnati Bengals rookie who stood out most in 2025 minicampBen Strauss ·
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (1) warms up before the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.
Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase drops mic on Trey Hendrickson’s contract situationJaren Kawada ·
Cincinnati Bengals Trey Hendrickson speaks at a press conference after practice, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at Kettering Health Practice Fields in Downtown Cincinnati.
Bengals rumors: How serious is Trey Hendrickson about sitting out season?Zachary Weinberger ·
Cincinnati Bengals Trey Hendrickson speaks at a press conference after practice, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, at Kettering Health Practice Fields in Downtown Cincinnati.
Bengals rumors: Insider offers cryptic Trey Hendrickson outlookRichard Pereira ·

“I used to practice in this all the time. I didn’t want to do that and I was like, at least Cleveland has an indoor practice facility,” he declared after finishing an amazing professional career after the 2014 NFL Draft.

The Steelers acquired Shazier through the 15th pick. It was still far off from the Bengals who had the 24th pick. Lewis ended up getting Darqueze Dennard, the cornerback out of Michigan State, in that draft class. Would Shazier's career be more different in a positive way with Cincinnati?