At a college football program full of legendary linebackers, Ryan Shazier may have been the best of the past decade. On an NFL team with a long history of Hall of Fame linebackers, Shazier emerged as an up and coming star at the position.
Unfortunately for the former Buckeye, we may never know the extent of his professional potential in the sport, as Shazier officially announced his retirement Wednesday following a long recovery back from a spinal injury that threatened to take much more than the sport of football from the Florida native.
"It's been over a thousand days since I got hurt on the field. To lose the game in the way I never envisioned has not been easy," Shazier said in a video he posted to social media. "When you play the game of football the way I did, you convince yourself you're Superman –– that nothing can stop you. But then, the moment I got hurt, I stopped being Superman, and that was difficult to make sense."
On Dec. 4, 2017, the Pittsburgh Steelers were taking on the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football when Shazier went to make a hit in the middle of the field.
The head-first collision saw Shazier grasping for his back before medical staff tended to the fourth-year player on the field, and it was later revealed that he suffered a spinal contusion that required stabilization surgery three days later.
Doctors reportedly told Shazier there was less than a 20-percent chance he would walk again, but by later November of 2018, he was able to jog.
"The way I look at it, God put us all here for a purpose. For 20 years, he let me play football, but now it's time for me to do what he wants me to do," Shazier said. "I'm going to step away from the game for awhile and see what else life has to offer."
The Steelers kept Shazier on the reserve/PUP list for the 2018 and '19 seasons, and only moved him to the reserve/retired list this past March.
Shazier was named a Pro Bowler in both 2016 and '17 after being selected No. 15 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.
In his four NFL seasons, Shazier amassed 299 total tackles, seven sacks, seven forced fumbles and seven interceptions.
As a true sophomore at Ohio State in 2012, Shazier had a breakout season with 115 total tackles, and a conference-leading 17 for loss.
His follow-up junior campaign was even more impressive, as only one Buckeye has come within 20 tackles of Shazier's 2013 total of 144 since that season. His 23.5 tackles for loss were third-best in program history at the time, and his efforts earned him a First-Team All-American selection.
When Shazier left Columbus, he finished No. 6 in Ohio State history in both solo tackles and tackles for loss.
He's accomplished no short list of great things on the football field, but now, Shazier will turn his attentions to doing the same off of it.
"When I got hurt, football may have been taken away from me, but everything it gave me is still here inside," Shazier said. "I am incredibly grateful for that, and I am truly excited now to discover what is next."
