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Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith won Comeback Player of the Year last night at the NFL Honors show, and deservingly so. Smith had a life-threatening leg injury in November of 2018 and came back to play eight games in 2020, starting six of those games.
Smith's injury required 17 surgeries and there was a possibility that he could have had his leg amputated or lost his life. Smith wasn't a uniramous decision by the Associated Press, as he received 49 of 50 votes for Comeback Player of the Year. Ben Roethlisberger somehow got the other vote.
For much of the year, it appeared that Roethlisberger would win Comeback Player of the Year, but he faded down the stretch. The one writer that voted for Roethlisberger probably looked at the award differently as Roethlisberger played in more games and statistically had better numbers, but Smith defines the true meaning of Comeback Player of the Year, as many thought his career was over and there were concerns if he would ever walk again, along with his life being in danger as well due to the devastating injury.
The one voter who voted for Roethlisberger wasn't from Pittsburgh, however, as Shannon Sharpe suggested. Ed Bouchette of The Athletic said no one from Pittsburgh was on the voting panel for the AP.