If you missed this documentary the first time, be sure to set your DVR. And if you did tune in, watch it again in light of the news involving Michael Sam.
Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET, NFL Network will re-air its A Football Life documentary on Jerry Smith. Sam should be sure to watch if he missed it the first time around. He would be heartened to hear how Smith’s sexual orientation wasn’t an issue for his Washington teammates. All that mattered was that he could play.
From NFL Network.
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From 1965-77, Jerry Smith was a two-time Pro Bowl tight end for the Washington Redskins. At the time he retired, Smith held the record for the most touchdown receptions by a tight end in NFL history. Yet off the field, Smith lived with a personal secret he did not publicly share with his teammates.
NFL Network’s two-time Emmy-nominated series A Football Life continues with Jerry Smith: A Football Life. The one-hour documentary chronicles the life of Smith, detailing his career with the Redskins, his life as a gay athlete and his death from AIDS.
Emmy-nominated actor from CBS’ The Good Wife, Josh Charles, narrates.
Jerry Smith: A Football Life includes interviews with the following people:
Bonnie Smith-Gilchrist – Jerry’s sister
Ed Smith – Jerry’s brother
Sonny Jurgensen – Hall of Fame Redskins quarterback
Bobby Mitchell – Hall of Fame Redskins wide receiver/running back
Charley Taylor – Hall of Fame Redskins wide receiver; Jerry’s teammate at Arizona State
Chris Hanburger – Hall of Fame Redskins linebacker
Brig Owens – Redskins cornerback; Jerry’s roommate
Dave Kopay – Redskins running back
Larry Brown – Redskins running back
Billy Kilmer – Redskins quarterback
Calvin Hill – Redskins running back
Jean Fugett – Redskins tight end
Bruce Allen – George Allen’s son; current Redskins general manager
Mark Murphy – Redskins safety; current Packers President and CEO
George Solomon – Washington Post
Leonard Shapiro – Washington Post
Lynn Rosellini – Washington Star
David Mixner – Author; friend of Jerry’s; Gay Rights activist
David Maraniss – Vince Lombardi biographer
Provided below are some select quotes from Jerry Smith: A Football Life:
– “When you needed a play to be made, you knew you could throw the ball to him and you knew some way, somehow he was going to catch the thing.” – Sonny Jurgensen
– “This guy was a tremendous football player. Tough as nails, great hands – just so dependable.” – Bobby Mitchell
– “This was really good. At least I was sharing something of myself with someone who is close and understood all that I had been through.” – Dave Kopay on his relationship with teammate Jerry Smith
– “He was living in real fear and real scared; really alone and terrified that he was going to lose everything.” – David Mixner
– “There was that fear because you don’t want somebody to take away something that you love doing and you love it so much.” – Brig Owens
– “I think there was a suspicion but it was not like we were trying to ‘out’ him. It was a different era [in regards to the media].” – Leonard Shapiro
– “One of the things I learned is that a person’s sexual preference has nothing to do with their heart.” – Calvin Hill
Jerry Smith was a dynamic star of a great football team. He didn’t act like a “star”; just played like one. He was one of the most reliable performers of his time. You needed a big play, the ball went to Jerry. Not that he was the only go-to guy. This team was loaded with them but he was as good as any of them including his hall of fame teammates.