The Pittsburgh Steelers have built through the NFL Draft for decades and it has resulted in nine losing seasons since they hired Chuck Noll. The Steelers do a good job evaluating talent, but they do a great job in finding players that fit the culture they have created. The organization wants talented players, but more importantly, they want a man who fits the mold and nobody better exemplifies that than Vince Williams.
Don Wright / AP
Steelers inside linebackers Vince Williams and Ryan Shazier celebrate together.
The Steelers selected Williams in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played his college football for the Florida State Seminoles and he spent eight seasons playing linebacker for the Steelers. Williams joined his former teammate, Ramon Foster on his podcast The Ramon Foster Show on the DKPittsburghSports Network to discuss his playing career, the Ryan Shazier injury, and the reason he ultimately decided to leave football behind:
“It was so bad for me, it changed my life forever,” Williams began. “That is why I retired. It had a huge impact on why I retired after playing for eight years. Physically, I really could have played two more. I definitely could have played 10 years easily.”
Shazier and Williams formed a formidable duo in the middle of the Steelers’ defense and were just scratching the surface of what they were capable of in 2017. Williams had fought his way back into the starting lineup after three years on special teams and the two inside linebackers complimented each other perfectly. They were close friends as well. Williams didn’t retire immediately, playing three more seasons with the Steelers, but by 2021, he had lost his love for the game:
“It was so bad, that when [Damar] Hamlin got hurt, I cried a little bit and I had to cut the game off. I had PTSD, really, I cried. I told my wife I can’t deal with this, it took me straight back. I don’t know how I continued to play, especially because we made the tackle together. After that, just losing your friend, me and Ryan used to come eat breakfast every day with Brandon Hunt and Kevin Colbert. I remember that day coming back and him just not being there.”
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Vince Williams.
Steelers' Ryan Shazier Shaken By The Damar Hamlin Injury: "It Was Like Reliving That Pain All Over Again"
Williams started 11 games as a rookie next to Lawrence Timmons, but the Steelers drafted Shazier in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft as his replacement. Timmons was an established star, but when the team spends a first-round pick on your position, the writing is on the wall. The two should have been bitter rivals, but they became the best of friends and the tragic circumstances of Shazier's injury prevented them from playing out a fairy tale ending:
“After the Ryan incident, it became very, very monetary to me,” Williams revealed. “It was like I want to win a Super Bowl and I want to make a lot of money. At that time, I was spending about $200,000 on my body a year, just to be able to play football. Football is going to cost you something, it’s gonna cost your body or it’s going to cost your pockets. You gotta decide what’s more important and I was like I got more money than I got elbows and knees.”
The former Florida State star was a legendary figure on the Pittsburgh practice fields and played with an unparalleled passion until the Shazier injury changed everything. Football became just a business for Williams after seeing his friend lose his career when it was just getting started. He was still a highly effective player and losing him before the 2021 season directly corresponded to the Steelers sinking to last in the NFL against the run.
Photo by Benjamin Solomon / Getty Images
Steelers' Vince Williams shows his intensity.
Williams and Shazier complimented each other perfectly as linebackers and the Steelers have been wandering in the wilderness at inside linebacker since that fateful game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Shazier lost his ability to play the game he loved and Williams lost the love he needed to play the game. The Steelers are still searching for the right answer in the middle of the defense six seasons later and they still have not found it.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? How does it make you feel hearing that Vince Williams lost his love for playing football after seeing his friend lose his career? Please comment below, or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
