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Alex Smith calls it a career.
Smith, the veteran full-back who shocked the football world by returning to the field last year after a devastating leg injury, announced in an Instagram video that he is retiring.
The 36-year-old Smith has made it clear that he is happy that he can now leave the game in his own way and not on a stretcher because it looked like he was going to when he sustained that leg injury in 2018.
“Two years ago, I stared at a wheelchair and stared at my broken leg, wondering if I would ever be able to walk again or play with my kids in the garden,” Smith said. ‘In a normal play, I lost almost everything. But football does not give me courage. Because no, it’s not just a game. This is not just what happens on a Sunday afternoon between the white lines. It’s about the challenges and the dedication it requires. It’s about how hard and how far you can push yourself. It’s about the bond between the 53 guys in the locker room and everyone in the organization. It’s about fully committing yourself to something bigger. ”
The first overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, Smith played from 2005 to 2012 in San Francisco, from 2013 to 2017 in Kansas City, and in 2018 and 2020 in Washington.