Emmitt Smith will be remembered as the workhouse of the Dallas Cowboys offense that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s.
However, his Hall of Fame career certainly came at a cost, and he thinks most NFL players pay that same cost as well.
Earlier this week, Smith spoke at a Peter Blum Family YMCA fundraiser in Boca Ration, Florida. He was naturally asked about Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered multiple concussions during the 2022 season.
Smith admitted that he dealt with a number of concussions during his NFL career.
“I’ll tell you right now I don’t know a football player who hasn’t had at least one (concussion),” Smith said via the Palm Beach Post. “We all get dinged. I’ve had two that I know of, that I can recall when they were. I also can tell you there’s a number of times I got hit and had to shake my head a couple of times to get the cobwebs out and get back focused. It’s part of the game.”
Smith said that he thinks about the impact that CTE might have on his life as he gets older.
“When you see all the CTE stuff that’s come out, I‘d be naïve to think if I keep living, I’ll have a normal life going forward,” he said. “That’s why I respect the Jim Browns of the world, Tony Dorsetts, and the guys that came before me. They’re a good reflection where I’m headed as I age. To escape the game completely free, I’d be a little naïve. So far, I’m good.”
