A little more than 13 months ago, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier suffered a scary spinal injury while trying to make a tackle against the division rival Cincinnati Bengals. Shazier has been out of football ever since, but has made progress in rehabilitation in workouts. 

According to Steelers owner Art Rooney II, Shazier still plans on continuing his rehab with an eye on returning to the field at some point. Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette:

If Shazier wants to play eventually, more power to him. This is not the first time he's stated his intention to do so, as he has made it clear on multiple occasions that he hopes to take the field again.

"My dream is to come back and play football again," he said last year. "I've been working my tail off every single day, so I have that in the back of my mind every single time I go to rehab. I just try to stay positive every day, so I'm just trying to do everything I can to get back."

More important than Shazier getting back to football, however, is his overall health. And it's good to know that he is alive and well and at least getting his mobility and strength and range of motion back so that he can live a full and happy life. 

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Late last year, Shazier posted a message on Instagram thanking all the friends, family members, teammates, coaches, and medical staffers who helped him on his journey through the first year following his injury. 

"Today is a day to remember," Shazier wrote. "Just a year ago my life changed forever. It was a scary moment for many people. I'm not going to lie, I was one of them. I've learned this was an amazing opportunity for the Lord to show how great He is. It's been a crazy, long journey, but it is not over yet. The best worst part about this journey that I'm on is the unknown. Day by day it's getting better than the the day before.

"Today is and was a day of joy," he continued. "I want to thank all of the amazing people that have been a part of this process with me, starting with the one and only Michelle. And lets talk about my ride or die boy, my number one man, my son RJ knows how to keep a smile on my face. My parents and siblings have been there through the thick and thin. There was more than a million tears cried over this year, but now they are all of joy. Love you guys. My friends and teammates, man y'all don't understand just the little things you've done that have pulled me from darkness to the light. To the Steelers -- there's no better organization. Thank you for being family to me.

"The UPMC trainers and staff for getting me back on my feet. Steelers and Buckeye Nation -- your prayers and love honestly keep me going. And to the fans everywhere, I feel your support honestly everyday. CAA -- thank you guys constantly for giving me amazing advice and being the best agency in the world. And Iast, but not least, I have to give Jerome Howard and Mike Micca an extra thank you for dealing with my foolishness, excuses, pain, and joy everyday. These two are with me working everyday and I can't say thank you enough to these guys. Love you all thank you so much. #SHALIEVE"

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has maintained that Shazier has an important place in the organization, so it would not be surprising to see the team offer him some sort of contract that allows them to continue supervising his rehab. 

"[H]e's here on a daily basis," Colbert said last February. "He does some physical workouts in the morning. He either sits in with the coaches or he'll sit in with us. He's learning some personnel stuff just to keep him involved with us and then he goes and does his rehab at a rehab facility. But the great thing about it is Ryan does as much as we do for him because the way he works at this and the attitude that he has shown and his rehabilitation, it's really uplifting. Never once has he said, why me. And I know that is an uplifting gesture for us and those that deal with him because he shows us that everyone has problems but he's going to work to overcome his as we should ours."