Washington’s Handling Of Alex Smith

Posted on by

February 26, 2021

by Dave Earl

Alex Smith’s Comments Create A Stir

Well it looks as though recovery from injury wasn’t the only obstacle for Alex Smith. In an interview with GQ[i] he talked about the doubts the new regime had, going as far as saying they simply didn’t want him back. As this interview drew much backlash, especially from the fans I can’t help but think, “Can I blame him?” It is certainly disingenuous to simply take his side as a victim in a situation that appears, on the surface, to wreak of unethical behavior by the team. So was his statement warranted or, as some eluded to, just petty to the core?

Alex vs Team Perspectives

Over two years ago, Smith suffered what can only be described as a gut wrenching and life shattering injury to his leg. To many Redskins Washington FT fans it brought back memories of Joe Theismann suffering the same injury 33 years earlier, as Lawrence Taylor ended his career. While this injury took Theismann’s career, Alex Smith (with today’s medical advancements) progressed towards a miraculous path of recovery.  As ESPN documentary Project 11 outlined, many early hurdles were dire, from infections threatening his life to the real possibility of amputation. Needless to say the road Alex took was beyond remarkable and inspirational with consultation from Center for the Intrepid[ii].

As the 2020 season loomed ever closer the last thing (or hurdle) Alex ever thought he’d have was from the team and its coaches. All he wanted was an opportunity to prove he could play and ultimately compete for a spot on the active roster. So it’s reasonable for him to have frustrations or disappointment when the very team he gave it all to didn’t appear to want him on the roster.

Now let’s isolate this story alone and disregard whether Ron Rivera‘s vision of this team’s future included a veteran quarterback. I am pretty sure Rivera and his coaches held the upmost admiration for Alex for what he’s accomplished. Honestly, with the culture Ron wanted to bring, Alex’s recovery and his personal struggles in cancer treatment set some important inspirational benchmarks for this roster. With that said, is it really hard to rationally understand the fear they may have had inserting Alex back into the lineup? Is his leg strong enough? What if he was sacked awkwardly again on that leg? While I agree you can’t play the “what if” scenarios in the NFL, the mere chance of Alex facing a life or death decision again is certainly a great burden. I’m rather certain Ron’s approach had no malice towards Alex in any way.

Fan Reaction

While the national/local media takes certainly varied, the fans reaction was everywhere across the board. The one thing for sure about this fan base is that the passion for this team can be unrivaled. Many comments were rather extreme and just unnecessary, but a few stood out which seems to be a good representative of the fanbase as a whole.

Some appreciated not only what Alex did but what he went through:

The more neutral stance sees both sides but still leans toward more disappointment in Alex and coming out like he did:

Some had a lukewarm approach and realized he’s probably gone while acknowledging his story:

 

The stance I align more with here is JP Finlay, which many may feel being the coward’s way out (couldn’t disagree more):

 

Final Thoughts

To me it’s really as simple as this: I respect Alex Smith’s drive and tenacity to get back on the field and leaving the game on his own terms but the cautious approach by the team was certainly understandable. While I do agree with JP that both sides can be right here, the fact Alex felt the need to state this in an interview was a bit disappointing to me. The struggles he went through in rehab and establish himself game ready is absolutely admirable but this interview did lack a bit of professionalism in my opinion, but not enough to lose respect for him no way as he’s forever earned my respect.

Rick Snider’s take on the situation:

 

Rick does an excellent job in this perspective too as it wasn’t the team not wanting him here but them being concerned about Smith’s health on the field going forward. I mentioned it earlier as this can certainly bring great burden on this team knowing this injury nearly took his life. Alex Smith will be mentioned in this team’s folklore for generations to come and I only hope this interview doesn’t lessen the impact he had over this team and its fans.

 

[i] https://www.gq.com/story/alex-smith-nfl-comeback-player-of-the-year

 

[ii] https://www.google.com/amp/s/wjla.com/amp/sports/washington-football-team/how-rehab-at-a-special-facility-for-combat-veterans-was-crucial-to-alex-smiths-recovery