Spinal fusion surgery.
The mere mention of it truthfully can send chills up and down your spine.
Now imagine dealing with that as a professional football player.
And coming back from it.
That is exactly what Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. did.
And that is why his teammates voted him the Steelers 2026 recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award. The award is voted on by the players and given to a player who has shown courage either coming back from an injury or a life-altering situation.
"It's just an honor for them to see me in that way," said Samuel "I just come and try to do my best every day and stay consistent. It truly is an honor."
Samuel, who received the award at the 2026 Arthur J. Rooney Courage House Luncheon at Acrisure Stadium today, earned the honor through hard work, dedication, and straight up determination.
In addition, this year's Courage House Award honors former resident Zachary Chapman, whose remarkable life story reflects resilience, perseverance, and the power of hope.
Samuel suffered a neck injury in 2024 while he was with the Los Angeles Chargers. He waited until after the season, making sure he tried to heal as much as possible, and seeking the best medical advice, before having surgery in April 2025.
He missed the majority of the 2024 season with the Chargers, and went unsigned early in 2025, until he was medically cleared to play again.
The Steelers signed him to their practice squad on Nov. 12 last year, elevated him for a game, and then signed him to the 53-man roster on Dec. 2.
Since then, there has been no looking back.
But it wasn't an easy journey.
"It was definitely tough," said Samuel. "Just going through that, missing a year of football. I've always been playing football for 20 years.
"So, when it was just taken away like that, it was kind of hard mentally.
"I had a good support system behind me and just took it day by day. I had a lot of people that I could lean on, my family and outside people that I used to talk to on a consistent basis. I had lot of support around me."
While a support system can be helpful, that doesn't mean there wasn't fear. Not knowing what the future would hold was in the back of Samuel's mind for a while.
"For sure there were fears," said Samuel. "It's never knowing what the end result can be. There were fears.
"I definitely had doubts and thoughts about if I could come back."
One of the toughest things for Samuel was not playing the game he loved so much. It hurt to be a spectator, not even around the game for a time.
"Seeing other teams play while you were in the house, it was just a lot," said Samuel. "I always stayed close to football regardless of the situation. I love football and I love playing football."
Samuel made sure that no matter how much he wanted to rush back to playing, he did things the right way. He explored all options before opting to have spinal fusion surgery, assuring the path he was taking was the best one for his long-term health and return to the field.
"That's why it took me so long to decide," said Samuel. "I wanted to weigh out all my options and make sure I take my time and I rested it as well. I waited about six months before doing anything.
"After the surgery, I started working with folks to get back to where I was, do weight training and running and all that. I needed to feel more confident in my body."
Samuel worked with Dr. Stefan Valdes at USA Sports Medicine on his physical therapy and training, attacking it with vigor, while at the same time following the guidance to ensure he didn't overdo it.
"He was probably the most meticulous client we've ever had with his drive and his work ethic," said Valdes. "His consistency on every single rep, every single set of every single exercise, even if it's a very simple thing, he does it exactly to the T and how it's supposed to be done, which is pretty unheard of compared to hundreds of NFL and NBA guys.
"Asante is probably the most meticulous person we've had.
"He was also very patient. His recovery was quicker than expected from a rehab standpoint, but he was patient with the entire process and allowing the doctors to decipher when he could start contact. The doctor who did the surgery honestly did a phenomenal job. That plays a huge role because that determines the potential rehab."
While Samuel admitted the process was tough, he never let it get him down, never showed that emotion during his recovery process.
"He's a very poker face kind of guy," said Valdes. "You've got to really know him in order to know when he's frustrated, when he's happy, or any emotion.
"Once we got to know him better, I knew how much to push him when he was a little bit timid on certain things. Because that's the point from a rehab standpoint. We've got to induce chaos in a controlled setting. So then that way when he goes to play football, he's okay with the chaos that comes with the sport.
"His rehab was remarkable the entire time. There were zero setbacks.
"Now, he looks like he never even had surgery. He came to us this past offseason to workout. It was just like, are you sure you had surgery. He has full range of motion, full strength, and full stability. A lot times it's very difficult to come back to contact sports, such as football. For some this could have been career ending."
Samuel wasn't about to let that happen.
That love of football he has pushed him to make his way back, but even though he has, there is still more.
Samuel, who has started XX career games, has said he is still trying to prove himself after his injury.
His coaches, though, don't think he has anything to prove.
"He doesn't have to necessarily prove anything to me," said Jason Simmons, the Steelers defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach. "We trust him. We know his ability. We know that he's a playmaker. He's shown that he has done that over years in the league.
"We just want him to come out here and play free and play to who he is. He doesn't have to prove anything. I know who he is.
"And honestly, you wouldn't know that he went through the injury. It speaks to his mindset. It speaks to who he is as a competitor. It's what has allowed him to get to this point…looking forward and knowing what he's trying to get to.
"This guy is uber competitive. He's not thinking about the past, all he's thinking about is getting back to the player that he once was, and I feel like he's there.
"I know who Asante is. He's been a playmaker in this league and that's who he is now. And that's what he's going to be until he decides to retire."
That isn't happening any time soon thanks to Samuel's drive.
He pushed himself, never gave up on himself, and never will give up on himself.
Where he is now is a testament to hard work.
"It was a blessing coming to the Steelers, earning my spot, earning my own reps," said Samuel. "It was already a good team coming into here, so I was just trying to do what I could and make as many plays as possible.
"It's been a long journey. I'm continuing to show how I used to be before the injury. Proving to myself that I'm still him."
