Redskins: “Project 11” and the humanity behind the Alex Smith Story

Redskins quarterback Alex Smith suffered a catastrophic leg injury in November of 2018. But it was even worse than it first appeared.

ESPN’s “Project 11” brought me right back to Landover, Maryland on that November day. It also uncovered the humanity behind Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith, and the grueling path to recovery he faced, that almost no one knew existed.

I remember the feeling so well. The moment’s after it happened, you could feel the air being sucked from the stadium. The cart came onto the field, while both sidelines slowly poured onto the turf. It took about 45 seconds for the video of what happened to circulate on social media, and almost everyone in FedEx Field began to understand just how serious the situation had become.

The cart rolled in front of our section, and I could clearly see the shock that No. 11 was in. His face was in a haze, and the stadium was cheering their quarterback on as the medical team slowly drifted out of sight and into the tunnel. What I knew at that point was that he was heading to the locker room. What I didn’t know was the long and painful journey that he and his family were about to embark on.

In the days following Alex Smith’s devastating injury, fans and media members carried on with conversation on how this injury would impact the future of the team. Debates over future quarterback prospects, cap space implications, and more swirled around our news feeds endlessly. It was his injury that was the tipping point, as the Redskins 2018 season spiraled desperately out of control. But what most of us didn’t understand until now is that in those days, Alex Smith was fighting for more than just his football career. He was fighting for his life.

The reality remains that sports and entertainment feel like another world at times. Athletes appear on television and social media and their lives are portrayed in ways that seem to transcend being human. The money, the fame, and the lifestyle paint a cloud of fantasy over the reality that we are all human. We all experience life, and we all eventually experience death. But uncovering the stories that make these athletes human is why we love sports. It’s in those stories that we feel connected to our teams and our favorite athletes.

Watching “Project 11” revealed the humanity behind Alex Smith. It was a reminder of how fragile life can be. How in one moment, everything and anything can change.

Each time a football player steps on the field, somewhere there is a spouse, a mom, a dad, a sibling, or a loved one who watches and cringes with every single moment of contact. Because to us, he’s a quarterback playing to help the Redskins win football games. But to his children who know and love him, he’s referred to as “Dad”. He is a husband, a son, a brother, and father.

Smith’s story is another great reminder that we are all still people. We all have worries, hopes, and dreams. There isn’t a dollar income, a net worth, a dream job, or amount of fame in the world that takes away the title of being a human.

While Smith continues on his road to recovery, let his story be a reminder of the humanity in all of us. That with each and every athlete, there is a story. There is a journey that they took to get to where they are. There are loved ones who are watching and cheering them on in a way that we can’t fully understand.

Behind every jersey, helmet, and shoulder pad, is a person. Thanks to “Project 11”, it’s easy to see that the person under Alex Smith’s jersey is a strong and courageous one.