Alex Smith named Sporting News’ Comeback Player of the Year for 2020
When Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith went down with a brutal leg injury against the Houston Texans back in November of 2018, it looked like his career was over.
Smith’s leg snapped on a sack and he had to be carted off the field in an air cast. In the weeks after his injury, he would fight to save both his leg and his life due to an infection in his leg. He had 17 surgeries, had to wear a limb-saving device on his leg for 14-15 months, and was considered lucky just to be alive and able to walk after the ordeal.
Despite this, Smith wanted to push to play football again. Few believed he would even see the field again. Some even hoped he’d retire to take money off the books for the WFT.
But Smith’s fight was legitimate. He returned to practice ahead of the 2020 season and managed to get back on the field for Washington. That achievement was a massive one, and it’s the main reason that Smith is collecting accolades for his performance this year.
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Washington Football Team QB Alex Smith recognized by Sporting News
On Thursday, it was announced that Smith was named Sporting News’ Comeback Player of the Year. According to Sporting News’ Vinnie Iyer, Smith garnered 90 percent of the vote from players for his “perseverance” to return to the field.
"He was a testament to perseverance just working to get himself back on the field. Smith became a bigger inspiration starting again and going 5-1 during the regular season to help Washington win the division under new offensive coordinator Scott Turner and new head coach Ron Rivera."
Smith absolutely deserves this award. Frankly speaking, he should’ve been in conversation for this honor had he just played one snap on the season. The fact that Smith got back on the field was the story here. The 5-1 record in his starts was just icing on the cake.
We may never see a comeback as great as Smith’s ever again. His return is the greatest comeback in sports history, and the players across the NFL seem to understand that.
Next. Free agent WR wish list for the WFT. dark
We’ll soon see what Smith’s future holds, but no matter what happens, he should be proud of what he did in 2020. He can say that he did return to the NFL, he helped lead a team to a division title, and he beat the odds in doing it all.