Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Ryan Shazier is working on returning to a normal life following his back injury, and has finally been released from inpatient care.
In December, the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, but the final score meant little. In the second quarter, linebacker Ryan Shazier had to be taken off the field via stretcher after making a tackle head-first, then immediately grabbing his lower back.
While details have been sketchy as to how badly Shazier is hurt, he was placed on injured reserve by Pittsburgh shortly thereafter, ending his season. Now, we get some good news in the form of Shazier being released from his inpatient rehab treatment, something that can be viewed as a significant step in his road to recovery.
It’s unclear the extent of the damage Shazier sustained on the hit. He was seen in January getting around in a wheelchair at a Pittsburgh practice, seemingly in food spirits. It was also reported that the former Ohio State star underwent surgery on his spine back in December, stabilizing the area.
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Shazier, 25, wrote a long caption in the Instagram post above, finishing with the mention of playing again. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but it would be quite a finish to one of the scariest chapters in Steelers history. Currently, he has one year remaining on his contract with Pittsburgh at a cap hit of $8.7 million.
Hopefully No. 50 is back on the field at some juncture, but if that doesn’t become a reality, a normal life appears on the horizon.