Emmitt Smith isn’t ignoring the serious nature of CTE. In a recent interview, the Dallas Cowboys legend and Hall of Fame running back acknowledged that he worries about the disease.
During a YMCA fundraising event in Boca Raton, Florida, the running back spoke about his concerns on CTE after being asked about Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered multiple concussions during the 2022 season.
“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.”
He added 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.”
Despite his concerns, Smith said he “would play football all over again despite the CTE concerns” and is “not stopping” his 14-year-old son from playing the game.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
It has become increasingly uncomfortable to see a collision in which two players smash their helmets into each other, or a player leads with their shoulder and inadvertently makes contact with a player’s head.
You cannot help but think what these types of hits will have on these players in the years to come. Helmets can only do so much, but nothing can stop the human brain from bouncing around in the skull.
It’s a brutal game that can set a player and his family up for life, but it comes at the expense of their health.
