SAN ANTONIO – There’s been an outpouring of support for Ryan Shazier since the Pittsburgh Steelers star linebacker suffered a serious spinal injury on Monday night.
Some of that support has come via social media from San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Danny Green.
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Green took to Instagram earlier this week to post a photo of the two together with a message that read:
“Prayers up young king! @shazier even though we know you don’t need em, cuz you a fighter, we still praying for you! We know you gon bounce back!”
Shazier, 25, has another connection to San Antonio. According to an interview in the New York Post, Shazier’s fiancee Michelle Rodriguez is a San Antonio native, and friends of Green and Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson. Rodriguez and Clarkson are both Wagner High School alums.
Shazier told the New York Post he is also a Spurs fan and and that Kawhi Leonard is one of his favorite athletes from another sport.
Shazier underwent surgery on Wednesday night to stabilize his spine.
The team announced Thursday Drs. David Okonkwo and Joseph Maroon performed the surgery after Shazier was transferred from a hospital in Cincinnati to one in Pittsburgh.
Shazier suffered the injury while hitting Cincinnati's Josh Malone in the first quarter of Pittsburgh's 23-20 victory over the Bengals.
He motioned to his lower back immediately following the hit and was taken off the field on a stretcher. The team offered no additional update on Shazier.