(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered a dislocated shoulder in Sunday's game against the Broncos, which will sideline him for the rest of the season. It's a big loss for the Steelers and a crushing blow for Smith-Schuster, as he bet on himself this offseason to re-sign with Pittsburgh on a one-year contract. Any chance of Smith-Schuster cashing in this offseason is now over, unfortunately.
Despite the adversity that Smith-Schuster is facing, he still showed up to the JuJu Foundation Luau on Monday and delivered a speech. And the speech was straight from the heart.
“I sat there and I cried,” Smith-Schuster said. “I cried all night. I cried because I love this game so much. More than anyone could know. I know the whole social media thing, and the TikTok and the dancing. I do it because it’s my personality and I love it. Don’t get me wrong, football will always come first. Without football, I wouldn’t be who I am today. Without football this [foundation] wouldn’t be. I wouldn’t be a role model for a lot of people. I cried that night ... because you just never know what the future holds for you.”
Smith-Schuster's speech gained a lot of traction on Twitter, and deservingly so. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said it best: "The NFL is a better place with JuJu Smith-Schuster
in it." You can watch Smith-Schuster's speech in the video below. Words really don't do it justice. It's well worth your time.