Former Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith announced his retirement from the NFL on Monday.
In a video posted on his wife Elizabeth's Instagram, Smith recounted his comeback from a gruesome leg injury in 2018 that nearly cost him his life to explain why he was stepping away from the game, but also what the game gave him.
"Two years ago, I was stuck in a wheelchair staring down at my mangled leg, wondering if I'd ever be able to go on a walk with my wife again? Or play games with my kids in the yard? Putting my helmet back on was the farthest thing from my mind," Smith said in the video. "I just kept asking myself, 'All this for a stupid game?'"
In his first season with Washington, Smith sustained a gruesome-looking broken leg and then suffered serious, "devastating" complications, and required multiple surgeries to clear infections. The damage was so extensive to his leg, there was fear Smith could lose the leg and his life. He was wearing an external fixator six months after the injury. And then the infections threatened his life. The final tally: Seventeen surgeries and a visit to rehab at a U.S. military facility.
In his retirement video, Smith said his recovery and his mentality changed completely when somebody put a football back in his hands.
"I don't know what it was, but all of the sudden I felt stronger, more driven, and what once seemed impossible began to come into focus," he said.
For his return to football after nearly two years on the sideline, Smith was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Smith added that football wouldn't let him give up, that football wasn't just a game, but about challenges, commitments, the brotherhood between teammates, learning how far you can push yourself, and about the fans.
"So to everyone out there, whether you're a part of Niners Nation, the Chiefs Kingdom, or the Burgandy & Gold, I thank you," Smith said. "To all the men I had the privilege of standing with and playing alongside, thank you. I want to say thank you for believing in me. And thank you for helping me believe in myself. And in the impossible."
Smith added that "even though I've got plenty of snaps left in me, after 16 years of giving this game everything I've got, I can't wait to see what else is possible."
Smith, who was drafted first overall in the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, made three Pro Bowls, all with the Kansas City Chiefs. He finishes with 35,650 career passing yards and 199 touchdowns.
In his third season with Washington Football after coming over in a trade in January 2018, Smith helped win the NFC East. However, an injury kept him from playing in the playoffs, and Washington released Smith earlier this offseason.
"I want to thank Alex for his contributions this past year," head coach Ron Rivera said at the time of Smith's release. "He made such an impact on our young roster and his leadership was one of the key factors in our late season success and in making the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Everyone here in Washington wishes Alex and his family the best going forward and appreciates all that he gave to our organization."
Follow @BenKrimmel for the latest.
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