PITTSBURGH — Ryan Shazier wants to make something clear. His comeback from a spinal injury suffered nearly three years ago remains very much on course.

The end, however, won’t include the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker triumphantly running out onto the Heinz Field turf wearing his No. 50 jersey while waving a Terrible Towel.

For all the progress he’s made since that frightening night in Cincinnati in December 2017 — when Shazier’s ever-churning legs went lifeless following a routine tackle on Bengals wide receiver Josh Malone — standing in the huddle next to good friend and “Shake and Bake” partner Vince Williams is no longer an option.

Just don’t mistake the retirement Shazier announced Wednesday as succumbing to the inevitable. He’s still playing the game. Just in a different way. And he can still hit. Just ask his oldest son Ryan Jr.

“He tried to run away from me and I actually tackled him as if I was playing a football game,” Shazier said. “I think I tackled him a little too hard, but it was kind of funny. I thought it was kind of an achievement that I actually was able to tackle my son, even though he’s not an NFL running back. I thought it was kind of cool just to be able to chase your son and be able to play with him.”

The two-time Pro Bowler insists he’s not angry at how things turned out. He’s not upset a play that began so innocently ended up requiring him to undergo spine stabilization surgery. That procedure forced him to the physically unable to perform list in 2018.