Emmitt Smith ran for a lot of yards in his pro career — more than anyone in NFL history — which probably means his body took more of a pounding than just about anyone in the league’s 95-year history.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer talked candidly Thursday about the dangers of the sport when addressing the audience at a Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health luncheon.
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"What we know today is about this much: We really don’t know how serious the problem is until 10 to 15 years (have passed)," Smith said, according to the San Angelo Standard-Times. "You can’t look at me today and say ‘Well he’s doing fine.’ You cannot do that. That would be a big, big mistake."
Smith said despite knowing the risks that come along with the game, he would still play football if he had to do it all over again.
"You do it for the sake of the game. You do it for the sake of your teammates. You do it because it’s your team," said Smith, who rushed for 18,355 yards in 15 seasons — 13 with the Cowboys and two with the Cardinals. "Should you be out there? The answer’s probably not. Would I do it again? Yes, I would. But that’s football. That’s the way I was raised. If you can’t play with pain, you can’t play the game."
Smith also talked about the difference in the level and frequency of head trauma diagnosis between his era and the current NFL.
"Head trauma is one of those things where I don’t think anybody should be playing," Smith said, per the Standard-Times. "A lot of times I came to the sidelines and smelled some ammonia (to) clear the cobwebs. Today that doesn’t happen. I got knocked out in ’98 on Thanksgiving Day. Thank God it was Thanksgiving Day because I had 10 days to recover. Ten days. Now, they keep you out two weeks."