Ryan Shazier confirms he still can’t walk on his own

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier confirmed a report that he’s not walking on his own yet.

Over the weekend, the world received some encouraging and positive news on Ryan Shazier. The Steelers linebacker suffered a scary spine injury and hasn’t been able to walk on his own since it happened.

That was back at the beginning of December. Two months to the day later, it was being reported that Shazier was able to walk on his own without assistance — something that gave everyone hope that he’d once again be able to regain full function of his limbs.

As it turns out, none of the reports were true.

NBC’s Michele Tafoya reported on Sunday that Shazier was still unable to walk without assistance from a walker, something that was later confirmed by Shazier himself.

Shazier’s injury reignited a debate about just how safe football is, and if the game can be made safer for future generations. The problem with the injury to Shazier was that it wasn’t a head injury suffered after a brutal hit or from prolonged periods of impact. It was because of a bad tackle technique on one play — that’s all it takes.

The story here isn’t about the safety of football, it’s about Shazier’s journey back to full strength. While he is still unable to walk on his own, the powerful message of courage that he’s radiating has caught on with folks who don’t even watch football.

Progress is being made, but Shazier still has a way to go before his recovery is complete. Nevertheless, his support system remains strong and everyone continues to pull for him every step of the way.