Smith’s condition a ‘serious’ unknown
Reports say quarterback battling an infection related to his surgery
WASHINGTON— Three weeks after quarterback Alex Smith suffered a devastating leg injury during Washington’s loss to the Texans, there is growing concern about the progress of his recovery, with the Redskins issuing a statement Thursday describing the injury as “serious” and asking that “everyone please honour the Smith family’s request for privacy at this time.”
There were unconfirmed reports Wednesday and Thursday that Smith remained hospitalized and was battling an infection related to the surgery to repair his broken tibia and fibula. Coach Jay Gruden declined to give any details during his news conference Thursday.
“I was asked by Alex’s wife, his dad, his mom, not to really go into any detail on this process,” Gruden said. “That’s a respect of privacy, so that’s what I’m going to do. I think when the time is right, Alex will address the media and we’ll go from there.”
A day after Smith suffered his injury, Gruden said the quarterback’s surgery went well and he was facing a six- to eight-month recovery timeline. ESPN’s Adam Schefter later reported that Smith’s bone broke through his skin and he faced a “lengthy rehab.”
Alexis Colvin, orthopedic sports medicine surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, told the Washington Post that the risk of infection was the biggest concern due to the leg breaking through the skin and being exposed to debris. The soft tissue must be cleaned out during surgery, Colvin ex- plained, and it sometimes requires going back in for another cleaning with an additional surgery.
There was a feeling of concern in the team’s locker room Thursday as teammates wished the best for Smith. A large group of players took a team bus to visit Smith in the hospital Tuesday. There were too many of them to fit in Smith’s hospital room, so the quarterback was brought to see his teammates in a larger area.
“We all just assured him, ‘Hey, we’re praying for you, man,’ and wished him the best for him,” running back Adrian Peterson said. “That’s all we can do. ‘Hey, you’re not in the building, but we’re still thinking about you.’ ”
The Redskins have not confirmed that Smith’s bone broke through his skin, repeating only that he suffered a broken tibia and fibula. The team had provided almost no additional information about Smith’s injury or recovery before releasing Thursday’s statement, although Gruden was asked on Nov. 23 about reports that Smith’s recovery could stretch beyond six to eight months. “Right now, I’m going on the six to eight,” Gruden said then. “So we’ll just have to wait and see, make sure that everything goes OK. I don’t know.”
The team’s statement read: “On behalf of Alex Smith, we appreciate all of the concerns and prayers over the injury he incurred on November 18th against the Houston Texans,” the statement read. “Although this is a serious injury, Alex and his family remain strong. We would ask that everyone please honour the Smith family’s request for privacy at this time.”
The news of complications have increased questions about whether the 34-year old Smith will ever return to the field. He is not at financial risk, given that $71 million (U.S.) of his $94-million contract is fully guaranteed. Washington will not receive salary cap relief if Smith is unable to play.