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In recent comments for GQWashington quarterback Alex Smith made frank and candid comments about his belief that the team “didn’t want me there” while he tried to recover from a broken leg. Smith now seems to regret the impact his comments have had.
“Seems to be” becomes the key phrase because Smith was not registered to explain the situation. Instead, someone leaked more information about the situation to JP Finlay from 106.7 The Fan in DC
“I spoke to a source close to Alex yesterday,” said Finlay. “One thing they want to make clear is that Alex was talking to a reporter who knew nothing about footballI, and if you come back, the first story that came out had to be edited because Alex said ‘GO’ and the reporter thought it meant ‘right hand’. This is not a guy who knows football. And this is not a shot. I don’t know a lifestyle; I couldn’t write a fashion piece. I could write about football because that’s my track. . . . The message from the source with whom I spoke with Alex is that, listen, there is no animosity towards the organization. None of these comments were made to drive anyone crazy. He was simply telling the story of what happened. “
There is no denying or disputing the words Smith used when speaking to Clay Skipper of GQ. So what if Skipper thought he heard “high arm” instead of “GO”? Does this make the quotes he attributed to Smith incorrect?
He said what he said, and nobody is saying that he didn’t say it. Smith’s concern does not seem to be what he said or what was written, but the reaction to it.
To his credit, Smith is not trying to say that he did not say what he said. He said that. He probably meant it. He just didn’t want it to be interpreted as a criticism of the team.
But how could I not? He chose strong words that clearly showed that the team did not want Smith back on the field. Unless and until he uses different words or says that the words he used were not the words that were published, neither Smith nor any source close to him should complain about the way those who see and hear the words react to them.