The father of Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier said his son is making progress, but faces a long road to recovery from a severe spinal injury. “We have seen some improvement that is encouraging,” Vernon Shazier said in an interview in which he declined to go into specifics about his son’s condition.
“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.”
Ryan Shazier was injured while making a tackle on Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Josh Malone with 11:14 remaining in the first quarter of Pittsburgh’s 23-20 NFL win on December 4. Shazier hit Malone low with his shoulder pads, then immediately reached for his back while his legs remained motionless.
The two-time Pro Bowl selection was placed on a backboard and carted off the field. He had surgery to stabilise his spine two days later in Pittsburgh. The 25-year-old attended the Steelers’ home game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, watching from a suite. “We’re praying for healing and keeping our mind and faith strong,” Vernon Shazier said. “We know we’re in a deep valley, but we do not feel alone.”


Seahawks fined $100,000 for 
violating concussion protocol
The Seattle Seahawks were fined $100,000 by the NFL for failure to follow concussion protocol during a game last month against the Arizona Cardinals, the league and the NFLPA announced Thursday. The $100,000 fine represents the maximum punishment for a first offence under the protocol.
In addition to the fine, the Seahawks’ coaching and medical staffs will be required to attend remedial training regarding concussion protocol, the NFL and NFLPA said in its joint statement. The announcement stems from quarterback Russell Wilson briefly leaving midway through the third quarter of Seattle’s 22-16 win on Nov. 9 after taking a hit to the chin from Arizona linebacker Karlos Dansby.
Referee Walt Anderson then sent Wilson off the field for a test. Wilson went into the medical tent on the sideline — TV cameras showed the quarterback was only in the tent for seconds — and sat out just one play before returning to the game. Wilson was on the field for two more plays before the Seahawks punted. During the change of possession, he entered the tent and remained inside for a longer period of time.


Ref boss says no more paperwork to measure first downs
There will be no more index cards used to measure whether an NFL team has managed to earn a first down, according to comments Thursday from NFL head of officials Alberto Riveron. Riveron said he has told officials to no longer use paper as a means to measure a first down in the wake of an incident late in the Dallas Cowboys’ 20-17 victory over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
Riveron told NBC’s Pro Football Talk that the move is not proper protocol. Referee Gene Steratore placed a folded index card between the tip of the football and the end of the first-down marker before signalling that the Cowboys had converted a fourth down on their game-winning drive Sunday.
“When he did bring out the piece of paper, that was very, very unusual,” Riveron said. “The last time I saw it done was about four or five years ago, also in an NFL game, and that’s not the norm. Gene made the decision strictly on visual affirmation that the ball made the line to gain. I will advise them not to use it again. I’ve already done that.”