Watch: Ryan Shazier Jumps To Latest Milestone
Sixteen months after suffering a severe spinal injury, the Steelers linebacker pulled off a move he says he has been aiming to achieve for a while.
In the agonizing hours after Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier was carted off the field in Cincinnati on Dec. 4, 2017, it was unclear whether he would ever be able to walk again. Since then he is not only walking, but now jumping.
Shazier shared a short video of him executing a box jump, clearing what appears to be about 3 feet.
Asked via text about the feat, Shazier told ESPN that he has been aiming for this one for a while.
“The first boxes were a lot lower than that,” he said. “It all began with just trying to jump — no box. It slowly graduated to what you see in that video.”
Ryan’s father, Vernon, says his family doesn’t keep track of dates and times of milestones but simply “get up every day and go to war.”
“He’s grinding every day. It’s been very intense,” he said. “He’s come a long way but has a long ways to go. We’re grateful for the progress he’s achieved. He’s been dedicated to doing all he can to make as much progress as he can. We don’t have a ceiling, just working day to day.
“You know how the journey began, so to see him do that is very encouraging.”
