He appeared unable to move his legs after going down early in the game.
There was a frightening moment on Monday Night Football as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier left the game in an ambulance after a hit on the field that left him apparently unable to move his legs.
Teammates were shaken and some were in tears as Shazier was taken off the field on a backboard.
The team released a statement later saying he will not require surgery at this time, and he continues to improve. A Steelers source told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it’s better than what it could have been.
They told us it was encouraging, offensive lineman Ramon Foster told the newspaper.
I was 10 feet away, and immediately you could see that he could not move the lower half of his body, ESPN analyst and former 49ers quarterback Steve Young said at halftime.
Shazier had been trying to tackle Cincinnati Bengals receiver Josh Malone early in the game when he went down after his head and neck struck Malone’s thigh.
Video shows Shazier on the field, grabbing his back and then rolling over with great effort.
He was able to move his arms, but there was little to no movement in his legs.
Former Chargers team doctor David Chao said there was real worry over the injury.
He wrote for the San Diego Union Tribune: