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sports Diamars 20 aPriL 2021

Alex Smith retires after comeback from gruesome leg injury

( AP ) - Alex Smith retired leg?' I don’t want to be the
Monday after making an guy that put him back on
improbable comeback the field to let him get hurt
from a gruesome broken again."
leg, saying he's ready
to leave the NFL but Washington released Smith
believing he's still able to in March and signed veteran
play quarterback. quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Smith initially expressed his
Smith made the intent to keep playing but
announcement on Instagram went unsigned more than a
a few weeks shy of his 37th month into free agency.
birthday, hoping to enjoy
more time with his family. "I’m going to take a little time
to enjoy a few of those walks
“I want to say thank you with my wife, and my kids
for believing in me, and have no idea what’s coming
thank you for helping me for them in the backyard," he
believe in myself — and in said.
the impossible,” Smith said.
“Because even though I’ve A self-professed “skinny, no-
got plenty of snaps left in me, name recruit,” Smith was the
after 16 years of giving this No. 1 overall pick in 2005
game everything I’ve got, I and played 14 seasons for
can’t wait to see what else is San Francisco, Kansas City
possible.” and Washington. He threw
for 35,650 yards and 199
Smith earned AP Comeback touchdowns in 174 regular-
Player of the Year honors for almost a month and survived a victory at Philadelphia in GQ article this year that the season games and played in
getting back on the field last a life-threatening infection Week 17 on a strained right organization didn't think he'd seven playoff games.
season, two years removed in addition to the operations. calf that clinched the NFC play again.
from an injury that required Smith spent the next year and East title for Washington. “Football wouldn’t let me
17 operations. After breaking a half rehabbing and was back “The biggest thing he and I give up because, no, this isn’t
his right tibia and fibula at practice when Washington The injury prevented talked about, really, was that just a game,” Smith said. “It’s
in a game Nov. 18, 2018, assembled for training camp Smith from playing against there was really no roadmap about how hard and how
against Houston, he said he last summer. Tampa Bay in the wild-card to get us to where we were,” far you can push yourself.
wondered if he'd be able to round the next week, which Rivera said last month. “He It’s about the bond between
take walks with his wife or Smith's first game action Taylor Heinicke started and worked his butt off to put those 53 guys in the locker
play with his kids in the yard since the injury came Oct. 11 impressed enough to earn himself in a position to come room and everybody else in
— let alone play in the NFL when Kyle Allen was injured, another contract. back and play. ... It was always the organization. It’s about
again. and he made his first start at in the back of my head: ‘What fully committing yourself to
Detroit on Nov. 15. He went Coach Ron Rivera agreed if he gets hurt again? What if something bigger.”
He was hospitalized for 5-1 as the starter, including with Smith's comments in a he hurts that leg, that specific

Quotes from soccer players about the Super League

(AP) — Quotes from cur- the people created, which is football, and the wider foot- League clubs Arsenal and In- we can solve this unpleas-
rent and former players nothing other than the most ball community only to serve ter Milan. ant situation.” — Zenit St.
about the plan to create a beautiful sport on the plan- self-interested owners, who Petersburg defender De-
breakaway Super League et.” — Paris Saint-Germain stopped caring about their “Nobody is thinking about jan Lovren, who previously
in European soccer: midfielder Ander Herrera. fans long ago, and complete the bigger picture, only the played for proposed Super
disregard for sporting merit. financial side. I still believe League club Liverpool.
"I believe in an improved “This greedy and callous Tragic.” — Former Portugal
Champions League, but move would spell disaster for forward Luis Figo, who pre-
not in the rich stealing what our grassroots, for women’s viously played for proposed Belgian Olympians get
Super League clubs Barce-
lona, Real Madrid and Inter
Milan. priority vaccines ahead of

“Kids grow up dreaming to Tokyo Games
win the World Cup and the
Champions League — not
any Super League." — Fener- (AP) — Belgian Olym- adult population of their
bahce midfielder Mesut Özil, pians traveling to Japan age must still wait.
who previously played for for the Tokyo Games The Olympics are set to
proposed Super League club were promised prior- open on July 23.
Arsenal. ity treatment for COV-
ID-19 vaccines on Mon- “Because of the small
“This project is disgusting, day. group of athletes, the de-
not fair and I’m disappointed cision will have as good as
to see clubs I represented in- The Belgian Olympic no impact on the overall
volved. Fight against this!” Committee said its 177 vaccination campaign,” the
— Antalyaspor forward Lu- Olympic and 55 Paralym- committee said in a state-
kas Podolski, who previously pic athletes will get vaccine ment.
played for proposed Super shots while most of the