Za'Darius Smith Opened Up About His Abrupt Retirement With The Eagles Last Year, And It's Impossible Not To Be Rooting For Him Now
Kevin Sabitus. Getty Images.Something that is always way easier said than done is to remember that professional athletes are human, too. You get so caught up in the fandom and the theatrics of everything that it's tough to think about anything else outside of the game.
So when Za'Darius Smith abruptly retired during the season last year while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, it was easy to think it must have had to do with something football related. That maybe the Eagles' locker room was such a mess that Za'Darius Smith realized he was better off just saving his body from going through another grueling season in the NFL. There weren't any obvious injuries. Usually when a player steps away for mental health reasons, there are some clues in the wording of their retirement. But there was nothing to give you any sort of indication as to why Za'Darius Smith retired last year. So your mind just goes to "well, I guess maybe the Eagles just suck and he knows it".
Za'Darius Smith came out of retirement this offseason. And even though he doesn't owe anybody an explanation, he was courteous enough to give everybody an explanation on why he retired out of the blue last year. And it's impossible not to be rooting for him after all this.
It's a game. A game played with 22 guys running around on a field wearing 2 different colored outfits, all chasing around a little ball made out of leather and rubber. It's a billion dollar industry but at the end of the day, it's just a game. It means absolutely nothing compared to actual real life. So for Za'Darius Smith to lose his mother, his grandmother, and his father all in a short amount of time? It's no wonder the guy didn't see the purpose of playing football anymore. That's so much weight to carry, and so much heartbreak to deal with.
But while sports mean nothing compared to family and things happening in your life outside of the game, there's the other side of the coin where sports mean everything. Because Za'Darius Smith was at one of the lowest points in his life, and it's this game that brought his joy back. Being able to get back out there and play football again is the exact medicine he needed to deal with that heartbreak. It's just a game, but sometimes it means so much more. That's the beauty of it.