Alex Smith Says Washington Didn’t Want Him Back, Actively Tried to Keep Him From Playing
Imagine fighting your way back from a gruesome leg injury that required close to 20 surgeries and two years to fix. Then, imagine feeling like the team you're playing for doesn't really want you around during and after that battle.
That is -- or was -- the life of Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith. In an article with GQ that dove into his journey back to the field, Smith talked about Washington not wanting him there.
Here are a few eye-popping quotes from the GQ article.
"They never thought I was coming back. No one there," Smith said. "I did all my rehab outside of the building."
But that's not all, folks.
"When I decided to come back, I definitely threw a wrench in the team's plan," Smith said. "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 the chance."
Wow, talk about a shift in the plot. For the entire 2020 season, Smith's amazing return was a huge win for Washington. It keep them in the news cycle on plenty of occasions, and not for negative reasons -- once again, that's huge.
Apparently, what was happening behind the scenes goes further than the fairytale, as Smith had to overcome naysayers in his own building.
The article has caused many to speculate what went wrong. Obviously, the longtime quarterback isn't happy with his team, but why speak out about it now? Well, Grant Paulsen with NBC Sports Washington had a couple of tweets that could shed some light on Smith's reasoning.
He may have several reasons for being upset, including not getting to start the playoff game and a comment made by Ron Rivera in a late December press conference. Check it out.
At this point, I don't really care who was for -- or against -- Smith. He's the most qualified Comeback Player of the Year candidate in NFL history, and he proved to be a great example of why you shouldn't ever give up.
Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.