Mike Tomlin Says Ryan Shazier Is ‘in Really Good Spirits’

Ryan Shazier remains in a Cincinnati hospital but is upbeat.

Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier is still in the hospital after Monday night’s alarming injury but he is upbeat, coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. 

“I really have no update in terms of his medical status,” Tomlin told reporters, according to Pro Football Talk. “Obviously it was a tough evening, but, man, Ryan’s a trooper. I had an opportunity to spend some time with him. He’s in really good spirits. Tough guy.”

The Steelers announced early Tuesday morning that Shazier would not need surgery after being diagnosed with a spinal contusion. The injury left Shazier unable to move his legs but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that he had regained “some movement in his lower extremities.”

The team is hopeful that Shazier will be able to leave the hospital on Tuesday. 

Shazier was one of several players seriously injured in an ugly game Monday night against the Bengals. Cincinnati linebacker Vontaze Burfict was also taken off the field on a stretcher with a concussion after a brutal block from Pittsburgh receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Bengals running back Joe Mixon was apparently knocked out on a helmet-to-helmet blow. He was also diagnosed with a concussion.