After losing his job to a concussion, former 49ers starting quarterback Alex Smith says he is happy San Francisco is in the Super Bowl.
Last year Alex Smith came moments away from leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl. This year he was one of the top five rated quarterbacks in the league.
In week 10 against the St. Louis Rams Smith was knocked out of the game with a concussion. In week 11 against the Chicago Bears, backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick devastated one of the hottest teams in the NFL and won his first career start.
Alex Smith lost his job.
He never lost his cool though. Smith chose the high road, rarely speaking out against the move publicly. He just kept telling the media there was something special with the team this year and he wasn’t going to mess with it.
Now that the 49ers are in the Super Bowl, someone had to ask him how he felt. Maybe he wouldn’t be able to hold the frustration in anymore? Maybe he would refuse interviews all together?
Nope, Smith has remained Mr. Cool. Greg Rosenthal of NFL Network reports that Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports asked Smith how he felt. Smith’s response:
“I’m so happy, man. This is so surreal. It’s such a crazy time, such a crazy moment. Obviously, it’s been a unique year, and it would be great to be in there. But I couldn’t be happier. This is a great group of guys, and they’re all Super Bowl-bound. I’m just so happy for all of them.”
Not many athletes are as Classy as Alex Smith. He truly understands that championships are won by teams and not individuals. He probably also understands he will be a starter on another team next season. After all, he didn’t lose his job because of poor play.
Are you impressed by how calm and collected Alex Smith has been able to stay through the last half of the season?