Ad Disclosure
Neurologist updates Ryan Shazier’s status: He may not play football again
Published:
The injury suffered by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier might be even worse that originally expected.
After sustaining a serious injury in Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Shazier was unable to leave the field on his own power and had to be carted off and was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Michele Steele spoke with neurologist Dr. Anthony Alessi, who consults with the NFL Players Association and discussed the magnitude of Shazier’s injury.
Alessi told Steele “It’s not good…we’re not going to see him this season. He may not play football again.” He continued to say that Shazier’s injury is a “much more severe situation on our hands than we thought.”
Just got off phone w neurologist Dr Anthony Alessi, who consults w NFLPA, asked him what he makes of Shazier's spinal stabilization surgery. "It's not good…We're not going to see him this season. He may not play football again."
— Michele Steele (@MicheleSteele) December 7, 2017
Alessi says surgery is needed when the "bones around his spinal cord are dislocated. This is a more severe injury (than a contusion.)"
"This is a much more severe situation on our hands than we thought."
— Michele Steele (@MicheleSteele) December 7, 2017
After Shazier suffered the injury, teammates and other players kneeled in a circle, many with tears in their eyes as they understood the seriousness of the injury.
We can only hope that Shazier makes a smooth and quick recovery from such a devastating injury.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB