Almost three-years after suffering a life-threatening neck injury, Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ryan Shazier has officially announced his retirement from the NFL.
Shazier suffered a spinal contusion in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in late 2017. Most believed that Shazier was going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life, but the linebacker beat the odds and is now able to walk. However, the 28-year-old linebacker has come to terms with the fact that he will never be able to play professional football again.
The Steelers had Shazier on the reserve/PUP list in 2018 and 2019 and he was placed on the reserve/retired list in March of this year, making it obvious that Shazier was leaning towards ending his football career officially.
Shazier was a very promising and productive presence on the Steelers defense while healthy. Over his four seasons with the team, Shazier made the Pro Bowl in 2016 and 2017. His best statistical year was 2016 when he recorded 3.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three interceptions, nine tackles for loss, and 87 total tackles in only 13 games.
The Steelers selected Shazier from Ohio State with the 15th overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.
