Ryan Shazier always wanted to make his comeback to football after his devastating injry, but those hopes are now gone.
On Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker announced that he was retiring from the game of football.
“Football gave me everything I ever wanted and more … I’m here today to make sure the world knows how much I still love football. … Today I am officially retiring from the game I love so much,” Shazier said.
Shazier was injured in a head-on hit as he attempted to tackle a Cincinnati Bengals player in a Dec. 4, 2017, “Monday Night Football” game. He collapsed immediately with a spinal contusion and, although he rolled onto his side, he couldn’t move his legs.
Back in 2017, he appeared in 11 games and recorded 87 tackles, three interceptions, a fumble recovery, two forced fumbles and 10 pass defenses.
