alex smith
After a brutal leg injury nearly cost him his life, Alex Smith endured 17 surgeries, made his NFL return, and improbably led the WFT to the playoffs.
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  • Alex Smith’s comeback has been one of the greatest in NFL history.
  • The Washington quarterback suffered a gruesome leg injury in 2018.
  • After 17 surgeries, Smith returned to the gridiron and led Washington to the playoffs.
  • His wife, Elizabeth, immortalized the feat by turning his metal leg brace into a trophy.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Alex Smith has completed perhaps the most impressive comeback in the history of football.

After nearly losing his life due to a gruesome leg injury and returning to the gridiron some two years later, the Washington Football Team quarterback’s wife, Elizabeth, decided to commemorate Smith’s epic feat with a makeshift award packed with meaning.

Alex Smith broken leg
Alex Smith (right) attends Washington Football Team practice following his leg injury.
Reuters/USA TODAY Sport

Elizabeth commissioned an artist to transform the bulky metal leg brace her husband wore throughout his recovery into a football-shaped trophy that resembles The Vince Lombardi Trophy awarded to the Super Bowl champions each year. And before Washington’s postseason-deciding game against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night, Elizabeth posted a photo of the hardware to Instagram with a heartfelt caption about “transforming a symbol of hard times to a trophy of triumph we can proudly put on our shelves.”

“Waiting for this game and I’m a nervous wreck,” she wrote. “I look up at our bookshelves as a reminder of where we have been and the hard work to get to this moment. No matter the outcome, Alex has already won. He has beat the largest challenge life has thrown our way. I am incredibly proud and will be cheering loud.”

“Let’s go Washington!” Elizabeth added.

A post shared by Elizabeth Smith (@lizbsmith11)

 

Smith suffered his injury in November, 2018, when Houston Texans defenders tackled him in the backfield. His right leg was caught at a bad angle, resulting in a compound fracture with breaks in both his tibia and fibula. The now 36-year-old nearly lost his life and almost needed his leg amputated in the early days of his recovery, and some 17 surgeries later, he miraculously made his NFL return.

On Sunday, he capped his remarkable resurgence by leading his Washington squad to clinch the NFC East title and a spot in the NFL postseason. Smith's comeback is surely one worth honoring, with many calling for the quarterback to earn AP's NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. But until then, the Smith family will have a trophy of their own making to look to for inspiration whenever the going gets tough.

Alex Smith leg break
Alex Smith reacts to his leg injury on November 18, 2018.
Reuters/USA TODAY Sport

Smith and the Washington Football Team will host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL Wild Card round Saturday. And though Washington is a heavy underdog heading into the contest, the team's quarterback knows a thing or two about overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds.

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