Steelers' Ryan Shazier Shares Heartbreaking Truth: 'I Was Actually Not Supposed To Be Playing'

The Pittsburgh Steelers had the trajectory of their organization change when their star young inside linebacker, Ryan Shazier, went down on the field on in Week 13 of the 2017 NFL season. It was clear when the injury happened that it was serious, and it instantly became a situation where it didn't matter what happened the rest of the game. Everyone was concerned for Shazier, and was desperate for an update on his condition. Shazier sustained a spinal contusion and fractured his spinal cord, which ended his playing career and forced him to have to learn to walk again. 

Shazier was on a quick path to becoming the best linebacker in the NFL. He had a complete set of skills, could cover and play the run, and his athleticism was other-worldly. Shazier suffered his devastating injury against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. Shazier was having a great year, as he had already surpassed his career high for tackles in a season. In a recent interview with The Athlete Spine, a medical podcast, Shazier told a story about how he was never even supposed to be playing in the game where he got hurt.

"I was actually not supposed to be playing in that game, because in the week before I actually sprained my ankle on like the last play or second to last play against the Green Bay Packers. We already had won the game, I got into a pile and sprained my ankle. So literally that whole week I did not practice, not one rep. I didn't practice at all, and it was a game time decision, and me, Coach Tomlin, and the staff decided that I could get through it."

The week before the Steelers took on the Bengals, they played the Green Bay Packers and won by a score of 31-28. Since the game was close, Shazier had to play until the end to ensure the Packers would not comeback, and he wound up suffering an ankle injury towards the end of the game. The ankle injury and the spinal injury likely have no correlation, but not being able to practice for the entire week certainly didn't help Shazier prepare properly for Cincinnati. 

The Steelers played at home the following week against their biggest rival, the Baltimore Ravens. The week leading up to the game was spent with everyone in the NFL world sending their prayers and well wishes to Pittsburgh and Shazier, as no one knew just how severe the injury was yet - but everyone knew it was bad. The Steelers won the game that was dedicated to Shazier by a score of 39-38, which completed the season sweep of Baltimore.

Shazier was on pace for his best season yet, but unfortunately his life got flipped upside down in Week 12. Shazier was still voted to the Pro Bowl, giving him two Pro Bowl invitations for his career and he was also ranked as the 47th best player in the NFL for the 2017 season. 

Steelers' Organization Is Still Close With Shazier

Pittsburgh kept Shazier on the roster through the 2019 season, despite his career being over. He officially announced his retirement ahead of the 2020 NFL season. He is still a figure in Pittsburgh sports, as he attends training camp every season and is constantly seen making appearances on various podcasts discussing the Steelers. 

Pittsburgh has struggled to replace Shazier on the field since he played his last game in 2017. They reached for Devin Bush in the 2019 NFL Draft, who has bounced around the league since after not being brought back after his rookie contract expired. The Steelers have brought in countless veterans, but has seemed to finally found the solution at the position with Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts and Cole Holcomb once he recovers from a knee injury he suffered during the 2023 season.