Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a spinal injury making a tackle in a December 4th game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The two-time Pro Bowler underwent spinal stabilization surgery two days later on December 6 and has been at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center since rehabilitating.
Thank you for the prayers. Your support is uplifting to me and my family. #SHALIEVE
— Ryan Shazier (@RyanShazier) December 5, 2017
In an interview with ESPN on Thursday, Shazier’s father, Vernon, says that the family is relying on their faith in God during this time.
“We’re praying for healing and keeping our mind and faith strong,” Vernon told ESPN. “We know we’re in a deep valley, but we do not feel alone. It’s easy to be faithful in a storm, but we’re not talking about a drizzle. We’re talking about a hurricane, a category 5 [hurricane], lots of metaphors to describe it.”
Who has the final word? God has the final word! No matter what the doctor says, God has the final word!#prayfor50#Shalieve pic.twitter.com/wvM1cvnnGc
— Vernon J. Shazier (@VernonShazier) December 8, 2017
Vernon, an NFL chaplain told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that there has been an outpouring of support and prayers and the Shazier’s feel the love that has been sent their way.
“You’ve got little kids that are praying for him. He has over a million people praying for him,” Vernon said. “It’s coming from so many different sources. … I got an email from a kid who has a medical issue, where Ryan has touched his heart. You have kids wishing Ryan gets better for Christmas. It’s keeping us up.”
Vernon told Fowler that they’ve never questioned why the Lord allowed this to happen to their NFL linebacker son, and they believe that through all of this, God remains who He says he is.
“We haven’t asked why. Bad things happen to good people,” Vernon said. “But God’s always faithful.”
Join us in continuing to pray for Ryan and the entire Shazier family during their time of recovery.
For more, you can read the entire ESPN article here.
