Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith is reflecting on a comeback from his gruesome leg injury in 2018, revealing that the team preferred that he did not return.
In 2018, Smith suffered a compound right leg fracture and was in danger of losing his right leg. It became a situation where a return to the league seemed very unlikely.
“When I decided to come back, I definitely threw a wrench in the team’s plan,” Smith told GQ. “They didn’t see it, didn’t want me there, didn’t want me to be a part of it, didn’t want me to be on the team, the roster, didn’t want to give me a chance.”
“Mind you, it was a whole new regime, they came in, I’m like the leftovers and I’m hurt and I’m this liability,” Smith said when explaining the circumstance surrounding his return.
The quarterback’s injury became worse after his first surgery because he contracted a flesh-eating bacteria in his leg. Luckily, after 16 subsequent surgeries and two years of rehab, he was able to return. The 36-year-old revealed that his rehab was done without help from the team. “No one there. I did all my rehab outside of the building,” the Washington quarterback said. The team had given up on his return as he stated, “They never thought I was coming back.”
Last season, Smith returned and played in eight games for Washington. The former Pro Bowler won five games as the starting quarterback and led the team to the playoffs. Smith was awarded the NFL Comeback Player of the Year for throwing for 1,582 yards and six touchdowns.
