We all know that football is a highly-aggressive contact sport, but that doesn't make a potentially life-altering injury any easier to swallow.
In case you missed it, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier went down in an awkward manner after his hit on Bengals wide receiver Josh Malone. It was clear in that moment that Shazier felt excruciating pain. He immediately pointed at his back, but was unable to move his legs.
Shazier eventually left the stadium in an ambulance.
After the game – despite the comeback win - his teammates only had one thing on their minds:
The opposing team offered words of support, too:
The injury not only left those at the game a little shaken, but it impacted everyone across the entire league. Fearing the worst, there was an outpour of love and support sent Shazier's way.
Current and former members of the Cowboys organization were among those who shared their well-wishes:
Fortunately, the severity of the situation appears to be not as bad as it initially seemed. The Steelers shared this update late last night:
Shazier is still a young player with a high ceiling for his football career. However, he is somebody's son who also has a young family of his own. The latter is far more important and, in light of there still being so much unknown, please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers during this time.
