Washington quarterback Alex Smith, who suffered a devastating fracture of the tibia and fibula in 2018, was cleared by his surgical team to return to soccer activity.
Smith, who spoke to ESPN while filming an update for his E: 60 documentary, “Project 11,” is undergoing COVID-19 testing and expects to report to the team’s facilities Monday, where he will undergo a physical examination by the team. .
Once there, the team is expected to determine the next steps for Smith’s eventual participation in training camp.
Smith and his family spent the past few months in Hawaii, where he continued to train and prepare for the upcoming season. While he could feel that he was continuing to progress in terms of his strength, conditioning and agility, he said it was impossible for him to know how well the bone in his right leg was healing.
In an effort to answer that question, Smith underwent another round of imaging, including X-rays and a CT scan, when he returned home to Washington. His team of doctors, including orthopedic trauma surgeons Steve Malekzadeh and Michael Holtzman, plastic surgeon Vineet Mehan, and Washington team chief physician Robin West, as well as Dr. Joe Alderete of the Intrepid Center (who served as a consultant Smith’s entire post – operative) – discussed the imaging results before meeting with Smith and his wife, Elizabeth, to share their findings.
“Everyone agreed that my bone was in a really good place,” Smith told ESPN. “I had healed a lot. They said that given the combination of the bar and where I was in the healing process, I had no limitations and could even resume some soccer activities.”
“Hearing them say that, from the point of view of life, they would not restrict me from doing anything, I could go skiing or snowboarding tomorrow if I wanted to, and also, to get the green light that I could practice, contact me, who had cured me That was pretty wild to hear. I didn’t know if I would ever hear those words. “
Smith, 36, whose contract runs until 2022, acknowledged that this is only the first, albeit critical, step in the process of trying to return to football.
“For me, all eyes are on practice,” said Smith. “That is the next step. I have to demonstrate to myself and certainly to everyone else that I can practice.”
Smith also addressed current issues facing the Washington franchise, including the team’s commitment to rebranding after dropping its nickname.
“As soccer players, you sign up to play soccer, you love it and everything that comes with it,” he said, “but the logo you wear on the side of your helmet, the name on the front of your jersey is part of this. So I am very proud of the organization for making a change, as I think all of my teammates are. I am excited about the new beginnings, excited about the new coaching staff, going back to the winning ways. But as I said, I’m proud of the organization for making the change. “
He also said he was “embarrassed” and “disgusted” by the recent Washington Post report on 15 women who accused team executives of sexual harassment.
“We are soccer players and we are on the field, but there are many parts of the building that go into game day and season and the entire commercial side of the building, and to hear that some of this had been happening, I certainly don’t think the Players never knew. But it’s not something any of us are proud of, and it needs to be changed, “Smith said. “I have a wife, a daughter, two sisters, and to think that something like that happens to them disgusts and bothers me; so hopefully, we get to where we need to be: an environment and culture that is acceptable to all and allows everyone to thrive and is safe for everyone. “
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