Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith is an icon in the world of professional football and still holds numerous records to this day. Some people know him best as the cornerstone of the Dallas Cowboys offense for 13 seasons or for his fancy footwork on “Dancing with the Stars.”
Smith joined host Lisa McRee on “LA Times Today” with a serious message about accidental overdoses and how we can all be prepared for that type of emergency.
Smith works with Emergent BioSolutions on their Ready to Rescue campaign to raise awareness about Narcan and reversing overdoses.
“We’re trying to make sure that consumers and people around are ready just in case there’s an emergency situation that we might not be aware of or might think that there’s something different, but it can actually be and view an overdose,” Smith said. “We’re trying to get people equipped with the Narcan nasal spray.”
Narcan, the overdose reversing drug, is available over the counter. Smith spoke about why he got involved with the Ready to Rescue campaign.
“It did hit home for me. I’ve had teammates I’ve lost,” he said. “I had a good friend of mine who lost a son recently to opioid overdose. My sister-in-law herself, she was going through chemo, was in such pain that she got prescribed some stuff and end up getting hooked on it as well. And so when you see people that are close to you and with the widespread of fentanyl right now that are taking people out completely, you start to see things like that.”
One of the ways Smith has brought awareness to the issue of overdoses is by returning to the game of football and speaking to fans at tailgates.
“Sports happen to be one of the biggest iconic events that occurs on an on a national basis, even on a global basis,” he said. “And we get thousands and thousands of people up in the stands. So to be at tailgating events or to be in big events like that and to spread awareness, it gives us an opportunity to touch and reach the fan base up close and personal. There are a lot of similarities between one fan and the next. The only problem is most of us are not communicating with each other.”
Smith also spoke about his son’s college football career and revealed whether he thinks the Cowboys have a shot at the Super Bowl this season.
For more information on the Ready to Rescue campaign, visit here.
Click the arrow above to watch the full interview.
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