Ex-prep teammate has Shazier’s back
Steelers linebacker gets special push in comeback from life-changing injury
PLANTATION, Fla. – After Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier went down with a frightening spinal injury while attempting a routine tackle on Dec. 4, 2017, the first non-Steeler or doctor he can remember seeing was Jerome Howard. A former Plantation High School football teammate and close friend, Howard is also Shazier’s trainer.
“He told me: ‘Let’s pray. We’re going to get through this. If you need me, whatever you need me to do, I’m here for you and I love you. You’re my brother,’” Shazier recalled recently.
Howard was there for Shazier at that harrowing time, when doctors were doubtful he would walk again. He has been there for him long before Shazier was a Pro Bowl selection or an All-American at Ohio State.
And Howard continues to be by Shazier’s side as, nearly 19 months after being diagnosed with a spinal contusion and undergoing spinal stabilization surgery, he pursues an NFL comeback.
“I actually had mixed emotions,” Howard said at a camp for Plantation football players run by his training company that featured Shazier as a guest star. “Part of it, of course, was a devastating moment to see him go down that way, but then another part of it was ‘Who better than me to help him get back to where he was before?’ So part of it was a badge of honor that he chose me and wanted me to help him fight this battle.”
Shazier, 26, and Howard met as eighth-graders while working out the summer before high school. Shazier, who played defensive end in high school, went on to play linebacker at Ohio State, while Howard, a linebacker, ended up at Prairie View A&M.
They kept in contact during college, with Howard catching Shazier’s games when possible and the two getting together at home during breaks and holidays. Because he was always the one who would push his teammates in workouts, Howard became a professional trainer. So it was only natural for the two to work together.
Then the game in Cincinnati late in 2017 changed everything.
Initially told by doctors he had less than a 20% chance of walking again, Shazier surpassed that hurdle, walking across the stage on national TV at the NFL draft in April 2018. As he was able to resume working out, it has been Howard at his side, even traveling with S h a z i e r, g u i d i n g h i m through a progression of workouts and providing moral support.
“With someone with a work ethic like Ryan’s, it’s not very hard,” Howard said. “Anyone that’s met him understands his optimism, his positivity, and he’s never afraid to go above and beyond. We had our tough moments. We had our ups and downs, but with our relationship together, we were able to be 100% honest with each other.”
Those tracking Shazier’s recovery have seen public milestones, such as his draft appearance or when he walked onto the field last October at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, where the injury occurred. He has posted progress on his Instagram account, showing he’s able to do different workouts such as dead lifts (lifting a barbell off the floor) and box jumps (a standing jump onto a high box or platform).
At the camp with Howard, Shazier demonstrated for campers the TRX row, a back-strengthening exercise in which one pulls his or her body forward while holding on to straps attached diagonally to an overhead pull-up bar. Shazier said he has been able to do the TRX row for some time now.
“I try to be appreciative of every day I get,” Shazier said. “Because every day I’m beating the odds. Every day I’m getting better, proving people wrong that never thought I’d be where I am. I constantly am proud of where I’m at. There are some moments that people see that are a little bigger than others. I set goals, but every day that I take another step, take another breath, I’m truly thankful and praise God for that.
“I have a lot of little moments like that to myself and my family, but my goals may be different from a lot of people’s goals. People might see me walking on the stage and be thinking: ‘Man, that’s an amazing goal. I know he’s been trying to achieve that.’ But at the end of the day, I can be trying to achieve something entirely different.”
Beyond Howard, Shazier is thankful for the support his family has provided, the work of several doctors and the Steelers organization for sticking with him.
The Steelers have tolled Shazier’s contract for 2019, meaning he remains on the roster as he recovers while on the physically unable to perform list and is paid a salary commensurate with his years of service in the NFL. He continues to accrue seasons toward his NFL players pension, and his medical insurance remains the same coverage that all active players receive.
While a comeback won’t happen during the 2019 season, Shazier’s ultimate goals remain unchanged from what they were before his injury.
“I still want to make the Hall of Fame, still want to be the best linebacker in the NFL,” he said. “I’m not giving up on my goals, and the doctors said don’t give up on my goals, so there’s no problem with me doing that. I’m just going to keep working, and hopefully I’m going to be back as soon as I can.”