I know Vince Williams isn’t the biggest fan of the media writing about his tweets but this is wayyy too good not to share. Late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, Williams sent out a flurry of tweets and sharing some touching stories about his relationship with Ryan Shazier.
We’ll share a couple but look at Williams’ timeline for the rest. There’s a lot to go through.
Williams reflects on how he initially felt when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Shazier in 2014. Williams was drafted in the 6th round the year prior but quickly found playing time after Larry Foote was lost for the year in Week One. So drafting Shazier seemed to be a message at Williams and their lack of confidence in the position.
Williams doubled his training program, going all out that offseason to prove he was worthy.
At the invitation of James Harrison, he and Shazier (among others) went out to Arizona to train. Initially, Williams wanted to outwork him but realized that was impossible to do. Shazier was just as passionate.
And in that competition, a friendship forged.
It was then that Williams, in his words, began to “shalieve.” And another reminder of the work ethic and goal-oriented mindset Shazier has had since getting drafted.
A couple more tweets by Williams on Shazier.
Who is cutting onions in here??
Not that we needed much more evidence, but it’s clear the bond between Williams and Shazier is as close as any two guys in the league. And they legitimately work great together. Williams the more “old school” thumper and Shazier the new wave playmaker.
And a reminder that footbal players are still people first and how difficult the emotional toll of something like his injury can be. Sports Illustrated’s article highlighted how tough it was on Williams, Mike Mitchell recalling that Williams cried for the rest of the half of that Bengals game.
Now, the rest of the season is dedicated to two men: Dan Rooney and Shazier. Reading what Williams has to say, it’s easy to see why Shazier is so loved by that locker room. And this city.
