On Wednesday, Ryan Shazier officially announced his retirement from football. This was the expected move after the Steelers placed the beloved linebacker on the reserve/retired list in March.
[RELATED: Steelers, Cam Heyward Agree To $71MM+ Extension]
Shazier was a Pro Bowl linebacker before a devastating spinal injury in 2017. Initially feared that he wouldn’t be able to walk again, Shazier battled his way back to being able to run and train, and has been an incredible source of inspiration along the way. The Ohio State product ultimately wasn’t able to return to the field, but he won’t be far from the game. The Steelers will continue to have Shazier involved as a mentor and likely as a full-fledged assistant, once the pandemic is in the past.
Shazier earned a Pro Bowl selection in his final NFL season, despite playing in only 12 games. Prior to that, he logged 55 tackles in each of the previous two seasons. Although he did not get to realize his full on-field potential, he’ll continue to serve as an inspiration for players and fans everywhere.
“When I was five years old, I made the greatest discovery of my life,” Shazier said (via Twitter). “I discovered the game that I love – the game of football. Ever since then, I’ve given my life to the game. I love everything about it…It made me money and gave me a life most people could only dream about. I’m here today to make sure the world knows how much I still love football, how grateful I am for everything football gave me. And I’m here to let the world know that today I am officially retiring from the game I love so much.”
Pandemic is in the past
Thank you, doctor.
Steelers kept him On the roster long enough for him to get benefits & a pension from the league. Classy move Steelers, classy move.
Tell that to the nurses & doctors still taking care of these patients
190,000 COVID deaths in the US occurred prior to today. That is a pandemic and also the past, so you are technically correct!
However, there are also 6.35 million cases right now, so that is very much an issue for the present. And most models show we can expect 400,000 deaths in the US by the end of the year, so it’s a future concern as well.
Infections are increasingly being reported in populations that people like to say are “unaffected” but it does still pose the greatest risk for the elderly. So call me skeptical, but I don’t know if adding Tristan Wirfs and Joe Haeg as a backup are going to be enough to protect Tom Brady this year.
190k so far but 400k total in the next 3 months is delusional.
Then, don’t ask for a respirator if you get sick. Walk it off, since it no longer exists.
I plan on it. 9,200 people have died of just Covid. Everyone else had a comorbidity! Watch the news people! Don’t believe the lies!
I will certainly not believe the lies you’ve chosen to believe.
Preach!
Covid is real, but you’re right about the comorbidity issue. Unfortunately, politicians are using this situation as a scare and control tactic. In this country which is now a virtue signaling maniacal ball of hiprocrasy, is anyone surprised? Someone said it earlier, “walk it off”. If it were possible to teach lemmings how to use common sense, that could work.
For all the talk about player safety before Covid you never heard of Shazier. The nfl conveniently brushed him under the rug when it came to talking safety
The NFL has a long history of picking and choosing players that will be flagged, fined, or suspended for style of play. Some players have a habit of leading with the helmet and they play hard while others are considered a disgrace to the game.
Class act. I’m glad he’ll stay with the team on some capacity.
As much as I loved Ryan Shazier, he always led with his head. He took out Giovani Bernard one season by sticking his helmet right on Bernard’s kneecap. So how did Shazier’s career end? By doing the same damn thing. Only this time, he tried doing it to a much bigger receiver. Its a shame really, he never learned how to tackle correctly.
Actually I met Mark Gastineau at an independent league baseball game a year or two ago. He looked ok, was very nice, and took pictures with us, but I learned afterwards that he’s suffering from Parkinson’s. In that article, he said he believed it was because he never tackled correctly (maybe the boxing, too) and that his goal was to teach kids playing now how to tackle correctly.
One player who impressed me with his tackling during a preseason game with the Jets was Leonard Williams. He positioned his body so both he and the opponent he was tackling could get up safely.