It was an emotional day in Pittsburgh as for the first time since his scary injury last season in Cincinnati, linebacker Ryan Shazier spoke to reporters and addressed media in the Steel City.
“My dream is to come back and play football again,” Shazier said Wednesday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Shazier’s spinal cord was injured Dec. 4 in Cincinnati while making a tackle in the first quarter.
He will not play football in 2018 but has vowed to return at some point.
“I’ve played the game since I was four years old,” Shazier said. “Just because I got hurt doesn’t mean I’m going to stop loving the game of football.”
In recent months, Shazier has helped the Steelers in a scouting and pseudo coaching capacity, often watching voluntary offseason practices from a golf cart.
In a scene that moved people to tears, Shazier walked into the room using a cane under his own power, just showing how much progress he’s made since not being able to move that Monday night in Cincy.
Shazier took his first steps in public at the NFL Draft in late April when he walked across the podium in Dallas and announced the Steelers’ first-round draft pick. He still needs to use a cane, but his next goal is to walk on his own.
Ryan Shazier walked himself to the podium before his news conference. ?(via @steelers) pic.twitter.com/r4f7CcsUqG
— ESPN (@espn) June 6, 2018
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