The Key Man Of Pittsburgh Steelers Has Sustained A Brutal Neck Injury With Two Legs Broken…..

Steelers’ Ryan Shazier Improving, While Two Others Are Suspended

Ryan Shazier of the Pittsburgh Steelers was taken off the field after severely injuring his back in Monday night’s game against the Cincinnati

A tense Monday Night Football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals included a slew of hard hits, many of them illegal, that continued to have ramifications into Tuesday. Most prominent was the hospitalization of Ryan Shazier, a star linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers who sustained a spinal injury; two other players were suspended by the N.F.L. for their actions during the game.

The paramount concern for the Steelers was the medical status of Shazier, who injured his back making a tackle. The play immediately spurred fears that he might have been paralyzed as he initially appeared to be limited in his movements from the waist down.

The extent of Shazier’s injury has yet to be announced, but the initial updates from the team seemed optimistic about a potential recovery.

“Ryan’s injury will not require surgery at this time, and he continues to improve,” Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement released shortly after the game. “He will stay overnight to continue evaluations with the hopes of returning to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.”

Few updates from the team followed on Tuesday, and Shazier remains hospitalized at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, but a statement issued by the doctors in the afternoon treating him indicated he would be evaluated for 24 to 48 more hours before being allowed to travel.

Shazier’s first public comments came Tuesday night in a post to Twitter in which he thanked fans for the huge outpouring of support.

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Shazier was a Pro Bowler last year and was leading the Steelers in tackles entering Monday’s game.Credit…Keith Srakocic/Associated Press
“He is in really good spirits, tough guy, Coach Mike Tomlin said after visiting Shazier on Tuesday. “He has great support from family and loved ones there. It was painful to get on that plane last night. That’s life. We realize and understand he is in really good hands and getting expert medical care.”

The injury came about four minutes into Monday’s game, which the Steelers won, 23-20. Shazier led with his helmet while attempting to tackle receiver Josh Malone and then fell to the ground grabbing the middle of his back. It was clear right away that he had use of his upper body, but his legs did not appear to move. After a lengthy injury delay, he was strapped to a board and taken off the field.

In a sport that has been grappling with the long-term brain damage that it inflicts on many of its players, Shazier’s injury was a reminder of the catastrophic damage that can happen in the short-term. The play and its aftermath were reminiscent of similar incidents that resulted in temporary or permanent paralysis, including those involving Kevin Everett of the Buffalo Bills in 2007, Reggie Brown of the Detroit Lions in 1997, Dennis Byrd of the Jets in 1992, Mike Utley of the Detroit Lions in 1991, Derrick Burroughs of the Bills in 1989, and Darryl Stingley of the New England Patriots in 1978.

“We care about that man,” Tomlin said of Shazier during his postgame news conference. “We care about all the men. But that’s just a tough element of our game — one that we all understand.”

Asked after the game to describe the viciousness exhibited by both teams, Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers quarterback, simply shrugged and said “A.F.C. North football.”

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JuJu Smith-Schuster, a rookie wide receiver for the Steelers, drew a taunting penalty for looming over Vontaze Burfict of the Bengals after having delivered an illegal block. The play resulted in a one-game suspension for Smith-Schuster.Credit…Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Named to the Pro Bowl last year, Shazier leads Pittsburgh in tackles and has three interceptions. A first-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2014, Shazier has been one of the key players for a Pittsburgh defense that has helped the team to a 10-2 record, tied for the best in the N.F.L.

It was a brutally physical game between division rivals, and beyond the injury to Shazier it featured two plays that resulted in one-game suspensions, just a day after the N.F.L. had announced that Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots had been suspended for violations of the league’s unnecessary roughness rules — a suspension that was upheld by the league on Tuesday.

The first of the offending plays came in the fourth quarter when JuJu Smith-Schuster, a rookie wide receiver for the Steelers, slammed Vontaze Burfict, a Bengals linebacker, into the turf with an illegal block. Smith-Schuster loomed over Burfict following the hit, drawing a taunting penalty. The hit was severe enough that it resulted in Burfict being removed from the field on a stretcher, but not before he tried to wrestle Smith-Schuster to the ground.

“The contact you made with your opponent placed the opposing player at risk of serious injury and could have been avoided,” Jon Runyan, the N.F.L.’s vice president of operations, said to Smith-Schuster in a statement announcing the suspension. “Your conduct following the hit fell far below the high standards of sportsmanship expected of an N.F.L. player.”

The second suspension-inducing hit came on Antonio Brown’s touchdown catch, which, after an extra point, tied the score with 3:55 left in the game. Brown had already caught the ball in the end zone when George Iloka, a safety for the Bengals, delivered a jarring hit to Brown’s head and shoulder area — the type of play Runyan said the competition committee had encouraged the league office to punish severely in hopes of ridding it from the game.

Smith-Schuster immediately appealed his suspension, but it was upheld by James Thrash, one of the league’s two appeals officers. Iloka has three business days to appeal his suspension.

After Monday’s game concluded, several members of the Steelers posted messages of support for Shazier on Twitter.

A version of this article appears in print on , Section B, Page 9 of the New York edition with the headline: After Vicious Monday Night Game, a League and Two Teams Take Stock. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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