An emotional Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster addressed a crowd at an event for his foundation and explained to them how devastated he was when he learned this week that his shoulder injury will force him to miss the rest of the season.
“I sat there and I cried,” Smith-Schuster said. “I cried all night. I cried because I love this game so much. More than anyone could know.”
Although Smith-Schuster has been criticized at times for his dancing on the field and his large presence on social media, he said none of that matters to him without football.
“I know the whole social media thing, and the TikTok and the dancing,” he said. “I do it because it’s my personality and I love it. Don’t get me wrong, football will always come first. Without football I wouldn’t be who I am today. Without football this [foundation] wouldn’t be. I wouldn’t be a role model for a whole lot of people.”
Smith-Schuster is playing on a one-year contract and it is unknown whether he will return to the Steelers in 2022.
“I cried that night,” he said, “because you just never know what the future holds for you.”