Interesting set of tweets

I only post it because I wonder if Shazier will ever be the same. Forget football, I hope he can get around, move around normally after this.


Sean Conboy‏Verified account
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I almost never talk about my work at Thr Players’ Tribune on twitter, because twitter is bad, but I’m breaking that rule to tell a quick story about Ryan Shazier ...


Ryan came into our office because he wanted to tell his story, about growing up with alopecia from the time he was 4 years old. He couldn’t ever remember having hair, and he couldn’t ever remember a time when people didn’t troll him for it.


But as he was telling me all these stories about kids making fun of him, he was doing it with a genuine smile of his face. Not like a fake smile. Not like “I’m a millionaire now” thing. He just seemed almost indifferent to the hate.


So I said, point blank, “man, I really admire your attitude, but honestly, I don’t get it. If someone says something mean to me on twitter, even now, it’ll make me genuinely upset. How could you ignore it, especially as a kid?”


And he said, “Football. Football, bro. I just ... I just love it. I knew I could go to the football field and nothing else mattered. People could say what they want, but out there, I was gonna be a beast, you know?”


His love of the game showed when he recorded double digit tackles on one leg vs Michigan. Hell of a linebacker.


The open secret of the nfl is that a lot nfl players don’t particularly enjoy playing in the nfl. It’s incredidbly brutal and demanding. But I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who loved playing football like Shazier.


He genuinely — and I mean genuinely — wanted to tell his story so that he could make things a little better for kids (and adults) who are embarrassed about having alopecia. When he left, I said to my colleague, “that guy is just special.”


A few weeks later, Dan Rooney passed away. We were putting together a tribute for him. I texted Shazier asking if he wanted to give one of his memories. He texted me back literally 30 seconds later. “Absolutely. When?”


Ryan Shazier is the ultimate Steeler, and one of the best guys in football. Keep him in your prayers.


Here’s his story, which will make your day, if you haven’t read it:
[www.theplayerstribune.com]