The Pittsburgh Steelers are down one incredibly talented linebacker in Ryan Shazier. Despite that, even with the playoffs looming, the National Football League franchise is far more concerned with Ryan Shazier the man, and less about him in terms relative to being a football player.
“I’m not worried about him playing for us again; I’m more worried about him,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said Thursday, via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Y’all have been updated as much as we have. The thing that we’re hopeful for and prayerful for is that he comes back, and he’ll be OK. The football stuff is secondary. His life is a lot more important to me than football.”
For those unaware of some of the recent medical updates; Shazier underwent spinal stabilization surgery, the team announced. Despite that update, the Steelers have not said whether Shazier has movement in his legs or whether they expect him to recover from his injury.
Considering this is now less a football matter and more about a human trying to get through incredibly tough times, it isn't shocking that the organization is trying to keep Shazier's progress on a need-to-know basis. Then again, the team might not be fully in the loop itself.
[Shazier’s return to the field is] “the last thing I’m concerned about,” linebacker Arthur Moats said. “After seeing him on the field like that [Monday], I want to see him just walk. That was scary to see him roll over like that on the field.”
Obviously, as it is with everyone else, we are pulling for the young man to make a full recovery.
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