Injured Steelers LB Ryan Shazier attends NCAA tournament in Pittsburgh

Sam Cooper
·College football writer

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier took a break from his rehab regimen to take in some NCAA tournament action in Pittsburgh on Thursday.

#marchmadness thank you baby! @shazier ❤️ #shalieve #prayfor50

A post shared by Michelle (@mrs.shazier50) on Mar 15, 2018 at 3:22pm PDT

By the looks of it, he was all-in on the dramatics of Rhode Island’s overtime win over Oklahoma.

Shazier is working his way back from a serious spinal cord injury he suffered in the Steelers’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 4. The 25-year-old Shazier has mainly been confined to a wheelchair in the months since, but he continues to show progress. As our Pat Forde noted, he’s been in good spirits throughout the ordeal.

The Steelers have already made it clear that Shazier will not return to the field in 2018, but he aims to play in the NFL once again. And he doesn’t plan to just play. He said in a recent podcast interview that he wants to be one of the best linebackers ever and make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“I got to get back,” Shazier said. “Right now I’m reading a book and it’s basically saying trust the process. I’m really trusting the process. I know the end goal. So I’m taking every step of the way, I’m giving everything I got. The therapists are like, ‘Man this is crazy; I’ve never seen anyone work this hard.’ They almost see progression every day.

“They say like some progressions they see week to week, they see from me day to day. I’m really trying to come back and still be a Pro Bowler.”

Shazier’s progress was evident when he stood up to a thunderous ovation at a Feb. 6 Pittsburgh Penguins game.

Before his injury, the Ohio State product (he’ll be an honorary captain at OSU’s spring game) was one of the better linebackers in the AFC. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2016 and 2017 and has 299 total tackles, seven sacks and seven interceptions in his four seasons (46 games) as a pro.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward (97) takes the field holding the jersey of teammate Ryan Shazier (50) during introductions before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward (97) takes the field holding the jersey of teammate Ryan Shazier (50) during introductions before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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Sam Cooper is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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