The Steelers crowd at Heinz Field for Sunday’s game against the Patriots includes one unexpected observer.
During a break in the first quarter of the game, the videoboards at Heinz Field showed a shot of injured Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier in a suite watching the game. Shazier waved a Terrible Towel to get the crowd riled up before the Patriots offense took the field for the first time.
Tracy Wolfson of CBS reported that most Steelers players weren’t aware that Shazier was at the game.
Shazier was injured while making a tackle in Pittsburgh’s Week 13 game against the Bengals and had spinal stabilization surgery on December 7. A statement from the University of Pittsburgh Medical center late last week said Shazier has started rehabilitation.
The boost to the crowd that Shazier provided turned out to be a short-lived, however. Tom Brady hit Brandin Cooks for a 43-yard gain and Rex Burkhead punched the ball in from the one-yard-line to give the Pats a 7-0 lead.
