default-cbs-image

It's been nearly three weeks since Ryan Shazier's terrifying back injury that resulted in spinal stabilization surgery and the end of his season, but the status of his health remains unknown. On Thursday, Shazier's father, Vernon, provided a positive but vague update in an interview with ESPN.

According to Vernon, Shazier is improving. But Vernon declined to offer any specifics.

"We have seen some improvement that is encouraging," Vernon said. "We're taking it one day at a time. We do not know what tomorrow holds. It's a [daily] journey we don't know. But I know God is getting the message."

Vernon compared the situation to a "category 5 [hurricane]," but said that they are maintaining their faith.

"It's easy to be faithful in a storm, but we're not talking about a drizzle," Vernon said. "We're talking about a hurricane, a category 5 [hurricane], lots of metaphors to describe it."

Shazier suffered the injury in the early going of the Steelers' win over the Bengals on Dec. 4 when he made a tackle with his head down. After spending minutes on the ground, he was carted off the field on a stretcher and went directly to the hospital. Two days later, he underwent surgery to stabilize his spine. The Steelers then placed him on injured reserve. A week ago, he started rehab. At this point, without any specific updates, Shazier's future in football seems trivial compared to his ability to live a normal life.

Still, Shazier has tried to remain involved with the team as they head to the playoffs. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin revealed that Shazier wants to game-plan with Tomlin during hospital visits. On Sunday, Shazier showed up to Heinz Field to watch from a suite as the Steelers battled the Patriots. When he was shown on the big screen, the crowd greeted him with a huge ovation.

Vernon told ESPN that public support has helped keep their spirits up.

"You've got little kids that are praying for him. He has over a million people praying for him," Vernon said. "It's coming from so many different sources. ... I got an email from a kid who has a medical issue, where Ryan has touched his heart. You have kids wishing Ryan gets better for Christmas. It's keeping us up."

He wasn't, however, ready to answer the question that those who feel the negative effects of the inherently violent nature of football are often forced to answer: Is playing football even worth it?

"The reality of the game is that it's a violent sport. I naturally pray for those guys going out there every game," Vernon said. "Any day there's a football game playing, I'm praying. About whether people should play, I don't think I'm at that point to think about it."