Monday, Alex Smith announced his retirement from football after completing the greatest comeback known in sports. Last season, Smith returned to the playing field two years removed from his catastrophic leg injury that resulted in 17 surgeries to repair.
He overcame the monumental hurdle to guide the Washington Football Team to the playoffs in 2020. Yet, it appears Smith still has some ill-feelings towards the team’s handling of his comeback attempt.
In a lengthy detail of his comeback and retirement with Sports Illustrated, Smith felt Washington coaches were “patronizing” him and tried to “sabotage” his comeback.
By his accounts, Smith was asked to do drills he had never done his previous 15 seasons in the NFL such as carry extra weight, push sleds and hurdle bags. It left him to wonder if the coaches were trying to see if they could break him. However, team physician Dr. Robin West agreed with him, the doctor who ultimately cleared him to play.
On the public eye, Smith started his comeback last year placed on the physically unable list. But inside the team’s building it appeared to be an internal battle with the coaching staff to get back on the field.
The team questioned Dr. West’s clearance of Smith. Despite her reassurance Smith was capable of returning to the field, she got “very little support” from the team’s skeptics.
Fortunately, Smith persuaded head coach Ron Rivera and his staff to let him play. Despite starting the year third on the depth chart, Smith progressed. Ultimately, he started six games going 5-1 as a starter and earning NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
“I was scared to death about putting [Alex] back out there and that is something I struggled with every day,” Rivera said in a statement to Sports Illustrated. “It’s unfortunate that he feels we patronized him because I can tell you that was not our intention. At the end of the day, I commend Alex because he proved everyone wrong and exceeded any reasonable expectations that anyone had set for him. He not only made it back onto the field but led us to the playoffs. It was a truly remarkable feat.”
Smith celebrated the honor of winning Comeback Player of the Year with his team. No not Washington Football Team, but the team of surgeons and doctors that worked on his injury.
Dr. West has since resigned from her position as team doctor after 18 seasons.
“I can’t help but wonder, God, did I start that?” Smith ponders.
Smith contemplated continuing playing next season but he knew if he did it would not have been Washington. He requested and was granted his release from Washington last month. Ultimately he chose retirement after talks with several teams including the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 2020 season seemed as a storybook tale for Alex Smith. However, it’s clear the behind-the-scenes tension has left him with a grudge towards the Washington Football Team.
