Wide receiver for the Steelers, JuJu Smith-Schuster recently got the devastating news from the doctors that he will have to be sitting out this NFL season in order to recover from a shoulder injury. In a heartfelt and emotion-filled speech, the athlete shared with the world just how much the game of football means to him.
“Last night was the hardest night for me because football has done so much for me in my life, more than you guys will ever know,” Smith-Schuster started, tears in his eyes. He then recapped the beginning of his career, taking the story all the way back to his childhood.
“My stepdad put my in football when I was 4 years old. It was fun. You get to hit kids and not get in trouble, right? I always loved the game.”
He continued and explained his initial thoughts, believing his injury wouldn’t cause him to be out for a season-ending injury.
“I got the call from the doctors, you know, shoulder injury, I thought you put it back in and you’ll be fine within two weeks and our bye week is coming up and I was like, ‘I can take two weeks off, come back and play this season.’ The doctor called me and said, ‘Hey, man, I think we have to do this surgery. You can get a second opinion.’ And [he] said it was a season-ending injury.”
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JuJu Smith-Schuster admits he cried when he recieved the news.
Getting vulnerable, the football star admitted that he was quite upset, so much so that he began crying. “I sat there and I cried. I cried all night. I cried because I love this game so much, more than anyone will know,” Smith-Schuster recalled.
“Football will always come first. Without football, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Without football, this wouldn’t be. I wouldn’t be a role model for a lot of people,” the NFL star commented.
He additionally said, “I cried that night because you just never know what the future holds for you. If I look at the light in front of me, and don’t keep my head down and just keep pushing forward and I come back even stronger than I was this year, I know God has a bright future for me.”
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