Emmitt Smith gives advice to NFL hopeful son who once admitted to feeling pressure of living up to family name

Living up to a legend's sanction is nary easy task, and nary matter wherever EJ Smith goes connected a shot field, he's looked astatine a spot otherwise than most.

That's because nan Texas A&M moving back, who hopes to beryllium drafted later this month, is nan boy of Emmitt Smith, nan NFL's all-time starring rusher.

Smith worked chiefly arsenic a backup successful college, but astatine nan very least, he did get a workout pinch his dad's erstwhile Dallas Cowboys earlier this month.

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Texas A&M Aggies moving backmost EJ Smith runs pinch nan shot during nan crippled against nan Miami Hurricanes astatine Kyle Field successful College Station, Texas, connected Dec. 20, 2025. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images)

But location was a clip successful precocious school, nan Hall of Famer said, that his boy began to consciousness nan unit of surviving up to nan likes of his father.

"He came to maine 1 day, he asked nan question, 'How do I woody pinch each nan pressure?' And I was wondering nan type of unit he was under. He said, 'Just nan unit of surviving up to what everybody expects and everything else,'" Smith recalled successful a caller question and reply pinch Fox News Digital.

"And I collapsed it down beautiful simply. I conscionable asked nan 1 basal question. I said, 'What is everyone saying?' 'Everyone expected maine to beryllium this and everyone expected maine to beryllium that and do this and do that.' I said, 'What are your expectations? Are your expectations immoderate different than what they want for you?' And he said, 'No.' I said, 'Where's nan pressure?'

"Here's nan point - you gotta tally your race, and you gotta disregard what different group are saying. Because you person immoderate expertise you have, you person to beryllium yourself. And you person to activity astatine being yourself and activity astatine what you request to do to hone your craft. Just spell play nan game. Put your blinders on. Run your race. You for illustration nan horses astatine nan Kentucky Derby. And past erstwhile nan blinders travel off, you whitethorn look up 1 time and find yourself successful the damn Super Bowl. You ne'er know.

Texas A&M backmost Marcel Reed hands nan shot to moving backmost EJ Smith during nan first half against Florida astatine Ben Hill Griffin Stadium successful Gainesville, Florida, connected Sept. 14, 2024. (Matt Pendleton/Imagn Images)

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"But enactment nan course, disregard each nan sound retired location 'cause it is noise. And they're not playing. They're trying to put their worldly connected you and their expectations connected you. But if their expectations are different than yours, it don't matter. Just spell meet each anticipation that you're trying to meet. Everything other doesn't matter."

Smith said he and EJ talk astir "everything nether nan sun," making it clear that his apical domiciled successful life is being a father. That, on pinch different individual experiences, is why he joined Narcan's "Ready to Rescue" inaugural to extremity overdoses during nan existent opioid epidemic.

Smith's sister-in-law had a "couple of overdose episodes" while connected symptom medicine for chemo for colon crab treatment. Smith besides noted that his erstwhile teammates person had issues pinch opioids, and friends person moreover mislaid children. Although nan circumstances are unfortunate, nan caller business is simply a earthy fresh for Smith.

"I deliberation that's what makes it specified a earthy measurement to talk astir it. There's dealing pinch personification that you lost, aliases moreover increasing up and seeing cousins, getting hooked connected hardcore drugs, and past seeing them wean themselves disconnected of it, going done that full entire process of not knowing that there's mechanisms retired location that group tin spell to get help," Smith said, adding his interest for nan "rampant" tally of fentanyl.

"Anybody is taxable to get caught up successful thing astatine immoderate constituent successful clip anywhere, and not moreover recognize it. And truthful erstwhile that happens, you want to make judge that nan group that are closest to you aliases astir you person entree to thing for illustration nan Narcan nasal spray.

Jan 30, 1994; Atlanta, GA; FILE PHOTO; Dallas Cowboys moving backmost Emmitt Smith (22) anterior to facing nan Buffalo Bills successful Super Bowl XVIII astatine nan Georgia Dome. (James D. Smith/USA TODAY Sports)

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The Smith family, of course, is hoping they get bully news during nan draft. But Smith has 1 much portion of proposal for his boy connected really to woody pinch nan unit of waiting for a call.

"I told him connected draught day, spell play golf, spell bent out, don't moreover look astatine nan damn TV," he said. "Let your supplier telephone you and say, 'Hey man, we sewage something.' Don't moreover interest astir draught day."

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