Does Ryan Shazier have alopecia? Ex-Steelers LB's health issues explored

Ryan Shazier is in the headlines once again, but this time for the wrong reasons.

On Wednesday, Michelle Rodriguez, the wife of the former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, accused him of infidelity via a since-deleted Instagram post. It allegeedly had snapshots of his purported chats with a certain "Marie", calling him a "liar and cheater". However, he has since denied the allegations, telling TMZ:

"Michelle and I have been living apart and are currently separated. As we work through what comes next for our family, I ask for privacy and prayers."

Before the scandal emerged, Shazier had long since been known for two things: 1) his horrific career-ending 2017 spine injury, and 2) his bald head, which is a result of alopecia.

Once having a head full of hair, he had been bullied for the condition as a kid but eventually developed a positive attitude to deal with it. Writing for The Players' Tribune in 2017, shortly after he surprisingly grew a small amount of hair, he described it as follows:

"And you know what I would do every time they fired off a new insult? I’d just laugh. That’s how you win against a bully. That’s how you really piss them off. Laugh. Smile. Don’t give a damn what they think."

Ryan Shazier with a small growth of hair on his head - image via The Players' Tribune

Nevertheless, he was still trying various methods to keep his hair, namely creams and cortisone injections. They, however, did not succeed as well as he had hoped:

"I’d get a few patches of hair back on my head and eyebrows, but damn if it didn’t hurt like hell."

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Ryan Shazier's alopecia advocacy, explained

But well before he wrote for The Players' Tribune, Ryan Shazier had already been an advocate for sufferers of his condition.

Back in 2015, the linebacker sat down with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler to discuss his advocacy. He said his non-aggressive approach had allowed him to assume his position.

“I know there are a lot of people struggling with it right now. I just took it and embraced it, and I really feel like it made me the person I am now. I definitely want to help out.”

His father, Vernon, meanwhile, concurred with his evolution:

“He’s experiencing another shift of evolution in his life .He sees he has a platform to help others.”

Two years after that interview, Shazier hurt his spine, ending his once-promising career.