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Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith says he is “lucky to be alive” and that amputation was considered due to the serious leg injury he suffered during a game on Nov. 18, 2018.

Smith has been sidelined for the past 14-plus months after suffering a compound fracture of the right tibia and a fracture of the right fibula in a game against the Houston Texans. He also suffered a serious infection that caused major complications, he said in an interview with ESPN’s “Outside The Lines.”

In the process, Smith developed sepsis, a life-threatening condition the body can develop while fighting an infection.

“I had a pretty serious infection … they had a lot of complications with it,” Smith told Outside The Lines. “I’m lucky to still have my leg.”

Hope you were able to catch Alex Smith on @OTLonESPN this morning. Here is my accompanying news story: https://t.co/kGiUAKuiwR

— Stephania Bell (@Stephania_ESPN) February 1, 2020

Smith was injured on a play in which he was sacked by Houston’s J.J. Watt and Kareem Jackson. The compound fracture of the leg led to an air cast being put on before he was carted off the field.

He was heavily sedated for weeks in the hospital while doctors worked to save his life. Several weeks after the injury, Smith awoke with doctors giving him a choice about his right leg.

“Next thing I remember is waking up several weeks later faced with the decision of amputation or limb salvage at that point,” Smith recalled.



Smith decided that he wanted to save the leg and he underwent additional surgeries. Eventually, the infection was gone.

The 35-year-old has previously stated that he underwent 17 surgeries during the crisis. He also feels overwhelmed by all the people involved in his recovery process.

“(I’m) so thankful for everyone that’s had a hand in this,” Smith said. “My wife, kids, and family and doctors and nurses and (physical therapists) and trainers and so many people that have helped me to be sitting here.”

Smith was initially concerned about having the ability to do things with his kids or being able to hike and ski. Now football is very much on his mind.

The progress he has made in his rehab efforts has him believing he will be able to play again. He is under contract with Washington through the 2022 season.

Smith understands there are no guarantees but wants to put all his efforts into seeing if he will be able to resume his career.

“There’s enough there that I can go out there and play,” Smith said. “… Knowing that, yeah, failure is a possibility. … I need to prove that I can come back and play quarterback in the NFL, and if I can do that, that would be great and it’ll get figured out.”

Smith was 6-4 with the Redskins in 2018, completing 62.5 percent of his passes for 2,180 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by San Francisco, Smith has a 94-66-1 record as a starter with the 49ers, Chiefs and Redskins. He has passed for 34,068 yards, 193 touchdowns and 101 interceptions.

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)