Ex-quarterback Alex Smith talks about his time with the Washington Commanders and explains that the team is always distracted and affected by the noise and turmoil around it.

Munich – For three years, Alex Smith was in the employ of the Washington Commanders. From 2018 to 2020, however, he only played 18 games due to a horror injury.

What remains above all is his incredible comeback after 17 surgeries and life-threatening complications. He actually returned to the pitch again afterwards, but then ended his career around a year ago at the age of 36.

Now, the ex-quarterback was asked on the “Rich Eisen Show” what advice he has for the team’s new playmaker, Carson Wentz. “It’s tough. I think you have to try to eliminate the noise there. There’s a lot of noise.”

He added: “There’s a lot of distractions – the whole organisation, everything surrounding it – and rightfully so, of course. It has been flawed for the last 20 years. There’s a lot of things going on there, a lot of distractions, and it makes it difficult to focus on football. “

Smith: A lot of turmoil at the Commanders

Smith also had a clear answer when asked if what was happening off the field had an impact on the team.

“How could it not? All the things that happen throughout the organisation, from the owners down to the head coach and general manager, have caused a lot of drama in the past. It’s a big market, obviously the capital, and there’s a lot going on, and this organization is a really storied franchise and there’s a lot of turmoil and a lot of distractions. “

Accordingly, it would be “crazy to say that the things that go on in the building don’t invade the booth or the field. Things like that happen everywhere. I think that’s what great organisations eliminate while the bad ones have a hard time. All the noise penetrates the building. Yes, it does. It affects what happens on the field.”

The Commanders were bought by Dan Snyder in 1999. Since then, they have suffered 212 defeats in 156 victories. The franchise’s last Super Bowl win to date was in 1991.

In the past few years, the team, then still called the Redskins because of their controversial name, has been rocked by countless scandals. Several of them involved sexual harassment. Among other things, female cheerleaders were allegedly photographed unclothed in front of sponsors and box owners.

Owner Snyder in focus

Owner Snyder in particular is in the focus. Nude videos of the women were allegedly made for him, and he is also said to have asked some of them to go to their hotel rooms with his friends.

After countless revelations, former employees of the franchise recently wrote an open letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the owners of the other teams. It says: “While your committee is currently busy working through the racism problem in the league, they can also provide justice for hundreds of men and women who have bravely gone public with their stories of sexual harassment at WFT.”

He continued, “The NFL should not be allowed to encourage this behaviour only to sweep all allegations under the rug.” Melanie Coburn, former Commaners cheerleader, said on “ESPN”, “There are still many who are afraid to go public with their experiences. They are threatened. “