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As the Pittsburgh Steelers get prepared to board their flight back to Pittsburgh after beating the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13, reports are starting to leak regarding the situation of Ryan Shazier.
Shazier left the game on a stretcher, didn’t show any mobility in his lower body, and was taken to the University of Cincinnati hospital. While the Steelers have yet to put out an official news release, here are some of the reports on Shazier’s status:
Steelers told Ryan Shazier has a spinal contusion and that some swelling is involved. Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert took a police escort to hospital.
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 5, 2017
LB Vince Williams said Ryan Shazier told teammates as he was carted off that he would ‘be OK.’ Williams said Shazier could feel his extremities as far as he could tell.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 5, 2017
Some good news coming out from Steelers. Two players called Shazier's injury a spinal chord concussion, comparable to Tommy Maddox injury in 2002; Maddox missed 1 game. Encouraging news, another said.
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) December 5, 2017
At this point, Shazier returning to the lineup should be the last on everyone’s mind. Shazier’s health and well-being should be paramount, and all of the above reports are good news in this regard.
If Shazier is able to return to the football field, it is merely icing on the cake.
Stay tuned as more information comes out on Shazier’s injury and his current status.
UPDATE:
Several medical experts are suggesting Shazier’s status is not considered a “contusion”, as stated in some reports above, but is rather a spinal “concussion”.