Prior to Washington’s NFC East-clinching win Sunday, Elizabeth Smith revealed her Christmas present to her husband Alex Smith via Instagram. She had an artist to shape the leg brace Alex wore for eight months following his numerous surgeries into the Lombardi Trophy.
Mrs. Smith chose Tom Patsis, a race car fabricator turned artist, from just outside of Indianapolis. Patsis admitted to the Washington Post, he is not a football fan and “had no idea” who Alex Smith was before being tasked to shape the brace.
“Just so you know, I know nothing about football,” Patsis told the Post. “I had no idea who Alex Smith was. I kept calling him Andy Smith to my friends.”
Patsis revealed Elizabeth initially wanted a phoenix rising from ashes to symbolize Alex’s comeback. However, it would have required added materials and he didn’t want to stray from the authenticity of the brace.
Ultimately he pitched the idea and design of the Lombardi Trophy after researching about Smith’s plight. All things worked out and Alex loved his Christmas present.
As for the price of Elizabeth’s gift to Alex?
Instead of the $400-500 usual price tag, Patsis was able to negotiate a pair of signed jerseys for his football fan of a wife and one of their daughters.
Alex Smith wore the external fixator for eight months after undergoing 17 surgeries on his injured right leg. The high volume of surgeries were to combat a series of bacterial infections that nearly took his leg and life after the catastrophic injury during a November 2018 game.
He recovered, rehabbed and miraculously returned to the team this season. He started five games and helped salvage Washington’s season, leading them to their first NFC East division title since 2015.
