RENTON, Wash. — The morning after his life changed forever, Malcolm Smith boarded a private jet bound for Florida. A waiter catered to his and his girlfriend’s every need, recharging Smith for the parade that awaited him when he landed.

He rode in the back of a convertible and waved at the thousands of people cheering along Main Street U.S.A. at Disney World, where he did not even have time to sample a turkey leg. He signed some footballs, spoke to some reporters, went on a ride — only one, and he doesn’t remember which — and gaped at fans wearing his No. 53 Seattle Seahawks jersey.

“It almost felt fake, you know?” Smith said.

Not many people do know. Only 42 others had been selected as the most valuable player of the Super Bowl. Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann know. So do Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. Tom Brady. John Elway. Joe Namath.

Smith was one of them, except he wasn’t.

“With us,” the Seattle linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr. said, “he’s the M.V.P., and he can’t even get on the field.”