Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier made a dramatic return to Paul Brown Stadium Sunday.
The Ohio State product suffered a terrifying spinal injury last season while playing a game against the Cincinnati Bengals there. After 314 days, he walked on his own accord onto the field during warmups. Watch the incredible video below. (RELATED: Pittsburgh Steelers Linebacker Ryan Shazier Suffers Horrifying Injury)
314 Days Ago: Ryan Shazier was carted off Paul Brown Stadium with a spinal cord injury that doctors thought might keep him from waking ever again. Today, he walked back on that field for the first time since ( by @AKinkhabwala) pic.twitter.com/BSELZehRtT
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) October 14, 2018
Shazier’s life changed forever when he went down against the Bengals. He was one of the fastest rising players in the NFL, and it was all over in a matter of seconds. There’s no question it was one of the most terrifying injuries we’ve ever seen football. (RELATED: Steelers Make Extremely Classy Move To Ryan Shazier)
The odds of him ever playing football again are pretty much zero. Spine injuries aren’t anything to screw around with. He’s made some money, he can finally walk again and it might be just time to accept his days on the field are over.
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The risks of ever trying to play again simply outweigh any benefit. It’s a shame his career came to such an abrupt end, but it looks like he’ll wind up being okay. That’s all you can really ask for.