Ryan Shazier suffered a horrific injury Dec. 4 in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals, with the linebacker losing feeling in his legs and in turn undergoing spinal stabilization surgery in the days following the injury.
There has been little update from either Shazier or the Steelers on his condition, but there was some optimistic news from Shazier’s father Thursday, as WPXI-Pittsburgh spoke with Vernon Shazier and learned that the linebacker has regained feeling in his legs.
The elder Shazier recounted the night of Ryan’s injury, saying that his son called him after being carted off the field.
“He said, ‘Daddy, pray for me. I can’t feel my legs,’ “Vernon told WPXI’s Lisa Sylvester.
Shazier, who cheered on his teammates at Heinz Field when they played the New England Patriots, is doing better according to his father, although he would not divulge information on his son’s rehab efforts.
“He’s making progress daily,” Vernon said. “He’s a long ways from the night when he was laying on the field.
“We agreed to keep his progress private until he’s ready to share where he is at.”
While it’s unclear what the All-Pro linebacker’s playing future is, his father thinks he’ll play again, using a compound term combing the family’s name and the word believe.
“Yes, yes I do. I Shalieve. I Shalieve.”
