Ryan Shazier addressed the Pittsburgh media for the first time since Dec. 4 of last year. What's happened between now and then has been nothing short of miraculous for the Steelers' linebacker.
And while the story has been well documented both on social media and because we've seen Shazier all over Pittsburgh, be it at Steelers or Penguins games, at the team's practice facility or just around town, this was his first opportunity to answer all of the questions everyone has had about his ongoing recovery from a lower spinal cord injury.
Shazier, who proudly walked to the podium on his own using only a cane, had plenty to say. Here's the video of the entire press conference:
#LIVE: Ryan Shazier addresses the media at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. https://t.co/dqMk1XmKfv
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 6, 2018
If you'd rather read it for yourself, here's what Shazier had to say to the questions he was asked after thanking a multitude of people, including his family, all of his doctors and nurses, Steelers fans and the team itself for helping him along the way:
Q: Do you still want to return to play?
Shazier: Yes, my dream is to come back and play football again. I’ve been working my tail off every single day, so I have that in the back of my mind every single time I go to rehab. I just try to stay positive every single day. I’m trying to do what I can to get back.
Q: Have the doctors given you any kind of prognosis?
Shazier: Honestly, I’m not a doctor. They’re just telling me to take this one day at a time. The further we get along in rehab, the better they can give me answers. But right now, they just say take it day by day. But they said I’m doing a lot better than they expected.
Q: Do you surprise yourself at all in what you’ve been able to accomplish in your recovery?
Shazier: I’m not going to say I’ve surprised myself. I’m doing a lot better than I expected to at first. But I’m definitely thankful and just trusting the Lord and just thankful to everybody, because I feel the biggest thing to me has been all of the support I’ve been getting from everybody else has allowed me to push even harder. So I’m not really surprised where I’m at. I’m just thankful because I know it’s a different situation than most people have to deal with.
Q: Why has it been so important to do your rehab here as opposed to being home with your family in Florida?
Shazier: It’s important to stay here because it makes me feel like myself. I’m still at home. A lot of people, they like to go places or feel as comfortable as possible. I feel like being here made me as comfortable as I can be, just being able to see my teammates practice, see them play, be able to be at the facility, study film and learn about the ins and outs of the whole Steelers organization. If I was at home, a lot of my teammates wouldn’t be able to visit me as much. I wouldn’t be able to see the people I see on a regular basis as much. To get better at what you want to get better at, you can’t always be comfortable.
Q: You’ve hit a lot of milestones since December. What’s the next one you’re looking forward to hitting?
Shazier: That’s a good question. One of the things I want to do is start walking by myself a little bit more without using a cane. If that’s camp, I’ll be happy for it. If that’s the regular season, I’ll be happy for it. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time. I have the final goal and the little steps ahead of it, but my next goal is to walk by myself without any support of a cane or holding somebody’s hand or anything like that.
Q: Have you taken on a mentor-like role with the guys who are playing your position?
Shazier: One of the things I tell them, because I don’t want to push myself on people, I tell them, ‘Hey, if you need any knowledge from me, I’m one call away. You can just ask me.’ To me, I always feel like you can make yourself better or the team better by giving all that you have. That’s what I try to do for those guys. They ask me any questions, I’m open to helping them.
Q: How are they doing?
Shazier: I feel like they’re doing a really good job. We have some younger guys who are trying to catch on, but like with Tyler (Matakevich) and the other guys, I feel like they’re doing good. From the moment Tyler was a rookie until now, me and him have had a really good relationship. He knew before, he could ask me questions. He probably doesn’t feel any different now.
Q: Will you have a defined role during the season?
Shazier: I’m just taking it one day at a time. The coaching staff and Mr. (Art) Rooney, they’re going to let me know as the season rolls along. But right now, we haven’t really decided on what that will be.
Q: Are you getting a feel for whether you like scouting or coaching?
Shazier: Honestly, I’m just taking it all in. It’s kind of cool to learn the ins and outs of the scouting department, the coaching department and just to learn how they come up with plays or how the scouting goes when it comes to making a team. It’s really cool to learn both of them and I’m just trying to learn as much as I can. I still want to play football, so I want to learn as much as I can. But I’m just really excited about learning.
Q: Why do you still want to play football?
Shazier: I’ve played this game since I was four years old. I’ve loved this game since I was four years old. Just because I got hurt doesn’t mean I’m going to stop loving the game of football. I feel when you give your best in anything that you do, it makes it a little easier when something happens to you because you never have to look back and regret that you didn’t go at it hard enough. I feel like I gave everything I had and I got hurt. I’m still going to give everything I have to get back.
Q: What was it like to go through that moment when you did get hurt?
Shazier: I’m not going to lie, the moment I got hurt, it might have been a little scary. But I just trusted the Lord and asked him to continue to watch over my life. I know the Lord always has a bigger purpose. I knew he was going to make sure everything was taken care of, everything was going to be OK. But I’m not going to lie. It was a little scary at the moment because I got hurt. But I understand that football is a dangerous game. Things can happen. I just accepted it at the moment. I know there are obstacles that you are sometimes going to have to overcome. I accepted what happened to me and just kept pushing forward.
Q: Everybody feared the worst. Did you have a sense that you would walk again?
Shazier: The thing with me, I always see the best case scenario instead of the worst case scenario. A lot of people, they told me, ‘You shouldn’t do this, you shouldn’t do that.’ But from the moment I got hurt, I was like ‘Lord, continue to watch over me. You know what your plan is. I hope I can play the game of football again.’ That was the only thing I was asking the doctors about. I wasn’t asking if I’d be able to walk. I was asking, ‘Hey, will I be able to play this season?’ They were like, ‘We might have to make you wait another season. But as long as you keep working your tail off, we’ll take it one day at a time and see where it goes.’
Q: Isn’t there a fear of having this injury again?
Shazier: I don’t really have a fear of it. Anybody who plays any sport, you get out there and have your first hit and then you calm down. That’s how it is for me. I just want to get out there and play with the guys. I probably have to just play safer. I’ve got to keep my head up. Other than that, I’m fine with whatever outcome comes of it. I’m just trusting the Lord. If he gives me the opportunity to play again, I’m going to go out there and give it everything I have.
Q: Everybody talks about your spirit. Have there been any bad days?
Shazier: I would be a liar if I said there haven’t been any bad days. Everybody has rough days. But I promise you, if it’s 100 days, probably 95 of them are good days and three of them are neutral days and two of them are bad. I try to stay as positive as possible. You always have some negativity that tries to sneak in. But I always felt from the days that I was younger, that as long as you're trying to do the best you can, most likely, the best outcome is going to come your way, especially if you’re working your tail off. That’s how I feel about this situation. You might have a bad day or something, might be a little sore. But you rest on it. That’s one of the days you sit in the house by yourself, play the video game a little longer and get back to it the next day. You appreciate it more.
Q: What was it like to take your first steps and then to announce the first draft pick?
Shazier: You definitely appreciate everything a lot more now. From taking your first steps, to walking out for the draft, to even being here to stand up and talk to you guys about the injury that I’ve been dealing with. You definitely take an appreciation for everything. When I see the ramps for the wheelchair accessible areas, before I got hurt, I didn’t really look at those ramps as much as I pay attention to them now. I remember somebody blocked me with their car and I realized, this is what this is for. You just really appreciate it. Before, you’re just living your life. You don’t feel like you’re not appreciating it. It’s just something you’re constantly living by. When I was in rehab, the first few steps I took, I’m not going to lie, me and my family were crying. Sometimes I look back at my videos and I still cry. But they’re tears of joy. I’ve read some articles and seen some things. People are always thinking the worst-case scenario. When you go back and see where you came from and where people thought you were going to be and where you want to go, it makes me appreciate every single step I take, every time I’m here. I just try to keep a positive mindset because you have to appreciate every single moment that you’re in because, a lot of times, we take things for granted that you might not think you take for granted.
Q: Did the attention you received from the crowds at events help feed you at all?
Shazier: I think those things helped feed me. The first game coming back with the Terrible Towel, it really meant so much to me just being there because I’ve been with this team from the moment I got drafted. Pittsburgh had my back from the moment I got drafted. They might get mad if I drop a pick every now and then, but they had my back. Just to know I got back out there to see how happy everyone seemed, how loud the stadium got, to see how everybody supported me, it made me feel everybody had my back. When I was in Mercy (Hospital), I was getting letters and I have so many letters and so many gifts from people. I got so many letters, I can’t even read them all, but they helped because it let me know this many people were praying for me. I had an elementary school, the whole school, every single kid wrote me a letter. That’s over 500 kids. All that feeds to make me want to do better. When I go to Penguins games, when I go to Cavaliers games, when I go to Steelers games, when people are cheering, it makes me feel like I’m back to myself. It allows me to feel I’m getting better. I’m feeling more normal. I know a lot of times when people get hurt, they get into a cave. When I’m hurt, when I’m dealing with something, it makes me feel better, it makes me want to do more, because I know I can get out and be myself and still have a good time.
Q: What is your day-to-day routine?
Shazier: Right now, I’m not doing as much. But before, I would probably get in around 7 (a.m.) and then watch film with the scouts. I’d do half with the scouts and half with the coaching staff when they’re breaking down film from the old season and figuring out things we’re going to do for the new season. Then I would work out for two hours. Right now, we’re practicing, so I’ll watch practice. Before, I would go to the training facility from about 2 to 4. After that, I would go home, rest for an hour and then my trainer comes over and he helps me do some extra stuff. I feel like that helps me build my body up more. Then I try to go to bed around 10 o’clock, but 'Fortnite' keeps you up a little longer.
Q: What are your thoughts on the rules changes the NFL has made to try to make it safer?
Shazier: I’ve been playing football since I was four. Some of the hits I did were some of the same hits I had when I was 10 years old. It’s kind of hard when they’re telling you to try to avoid hitting a certain way. A lot of people playing this game were probably playing it before they could speak full sentences. It’s a little hard, but you’re going to have to start playing the way they want you to play, tackling more with your shoulders and continue to avoid people’s upper halves. It’s hard when somebody’s coming at you a certain way, but you have to try to play the way they want you to.
Q: What did your son understand?
Shazier: Since he’s three, it’s kind of hard for him to understand, but he understands that daddy’s hurt. He constantly wants to see me get better. When I was in a wheelchair, he would come and try to push me in my wheelchair. If I dropped a cane, he would help me pick my cane up. But it’s kind of cool because he sees that I’m getting better. He’ll be like, “C’mon, daddy, walk.” Or come do this or come do that. Before, when I was hurt a little more, he wouldn’t ask me to do stuff he asks me to do now. Just to know that he’s seeing that I’m doing a lot better, to see that I’m doing a lot better, really means a lot for me and him. Me being a lot better allows me to do a lot more stuff with him when I wasn’t able to do that three months ago. That really means a lot. I can tell he’s learning a lot more than he did.