Steve Smith gets emotional over chance to return, calls out reporters who call him old
Steve Smith feels fortunate to be back on the field after rupturing his Achilles last season, but let’s make one thing clear: he is not old.
“I’m sick of you all saying, ‘How can you depend on a 37-year-old to play this game after a ruptured Achilles?'” Smith said Thursday, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “We’re going to see.”
Freshly activated off the PUP list and back in practice, Smith got emotional and had to hold back tears when recounting how Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome and coach John Harbaugh had supported him as he considered his future.
“I really came back not to set any records but more because this organization gave me an opportunity,” an emotional Smith said. “When I got hurt, I felt like I let those guys down in the locker room.”
Smith is 37 and coming off a serious injury, so he has his share of doubters. He’s determined to prove them wrong. In fact, he thinks he’s still one of the best around, even with all that in mind.
