Alexander Douglas Smith, widely known as, Alex Smith, is a former football quarterback who played 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football previously at Utah.
The notable footballer received first-team All-American honors while playing college football. The San Francisco 49ers selected the American quarterback in the 2005 NFL Draft.
American Football Quarterback Alex Smith Leg: What Is Wrong With His Leg?
The former football quarterback Alex Smith suffered a life-threatening injury reportedly to his right leg during his first season with Washington. The threatening leg injury nearly resulted in amputation.
Kansas City traded Smith in exchange for cornerback Kendall Fuller to the Washington Redskins and a third-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The quarterback signed a four-year contract worth $94 million with them.
He suffered a spiral and compound fracture to the fibula in his right leg and his tibia. Smith suffered an injury when Kareem Jackson and J. J. Watt sacked him during a game against the Houston Texans on November 18, 2018.
The quarterback developed threatening necrotizing fasciitis that resulted in sepsis. The sepsis required him to undergo 17 surgeries, including eight debridements, over four separate hospital stays for more than nine months.
Doctors suggested to Smith that an amputation above the knee might be the quarterback’s only option ahead. They urged the amputation before carrying out skin grafts and an operation transferring muscle from his left quadriceps to save it.
The QB wore an external fixation device as a part of his recovery process for almost a year. During the recovery period, the Redskins placed him on the reserve list of physically unable to perform (PUP) in 2019.
In early 2020, Smith affirmed his intent to return regardless of the severity of the injury. However, he proved everyone wrong who thought the quarterback would never return with his comeback since the injury in 2020 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Learn About Alex Smith’s Leg Injury And Health Update
Speaking about Alex Smith’s Leg injury’s health update, the former quarterback is doing fine. The American quarterback officially announced his retirement on April 19, 2021.
The doctors cleared Smith to resume football activities in July 2020. Smith began training camp with the team placing him on the PUP before returning to the game on August 16, 2020.
An ESPN documentary, Project 11, aired in May 2020 following his recovery. The notable American football player appears to have quality time with his family at the present moment.
He shared a heartbreaking update of his daughter’s battle with a rare brain tumour in June. The ex-QB rushed his daughter Sloane to the hospital a few months ago with stroke-like symptoms.
Reportedly, the youngest child of the football player had to undergo 10 hours of emergency surgery. The incredible neurosurgeons could remove 100% of the tumour, unveiled Smith via his social platform.
Alex Smith’s Wife And Family
Ex-QB Alex Smith’s wife, Elizabeth Barry of 13 years, was reportedly a cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders. The lovebirds crossed each other’s paths while in the Bay Area.
The pair exchanged wedding vows in 2009 at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. Barry and Smith share three children; their sons Husdon and Hayes, followed by their youngest daughter, Sloane.
Sloane is the only daughter of Smith and Barry. ‘This has been by far the most challenging time we have EVER been through,’ the ex-QB penned. Smith said she was back to her bubbly self after the extended operation.
He added that Sloane recovered commendably; however, since her brain tumour was rare, it is unclear what treatment lies ahead. Smith thanked everyone who kept his daughter in their prayers.