Emmitt Smith Talks ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ Taylor Swift’s Impact on the NFL and the State of the Dallas Cowboys Under Dak Prescott: ‘He’s the Best We’ve Got’

The NFL’s all-time leading rusher, Hall of Famer and anchor of the Dallas Cowboys’ hard-partying dynasty that won three Super Bowls in the ‘90s is celebrating the 30-year anniversary of his final Super Bowl win — which also happens to be the last time the Cowboys won it all — as well as the 20-year anniversary of winning the ABC reality-competition series “Dancing with the Stars.” Smith, 57, has partnered with AT&T, the official voting partner of the show, to connect with fans and revisit his time cutting a rug via a series of social videos.

“It’s cool because AT&T has done a great job connecting people with loved ones, and this show is all about keeping people connected to moments that move us,” Smith tells Variety.

He also toasted his former win by participating in Super Bowl Night, dancing it up on the Oct. 13 episode alongside fellow DWTS alums/ex-NFL players DeMarcus Ware, Donald Driver and Danny Amendola.

“I was one of the guys that probably inspired them to get on the show, so it was cool to see Jerry Rice and myself crack the code to help get other athletes on and show people that they have other talents outside of sports,” offers Smith.

Smith dished to Variety about everything from “Dancing with the Stars” and the state of the Dallas Cowboys under owner Jerry Jones to the NFL’s domestic violence policy and running backs not getting enough respect.

You were given credit at the time of your “Dancing with the Stars” appearance for making dancing seem more manly and helping lift a stigma surrounding it.

It was cool. The one thing I wanted to do was be me and not try to be something else. Most people don’t understand that running the football is almost like dancing — a portrait in motion. As a running back, I float in and out of defenses and run with a style and a flow that has grace but also has power, intensity and finesse in it, and dancing can be the same way. If you dance the Paso Doble, that has grace, power, intensity and finesse in it, which is everything I had on the football field. It correlates mentally, but the technique requires a totally different thing. And athletes are used to being taught, preparing and going into the arena, so it’s a natural fit.

A lot of dancers on the show end up getting romantically involved with their partners. Do you understand why that happens as a former contestant?

I understand and I can allow my mind to go there! But I have a family to go to, so for me, dancing was strictly dancing. However, the connection between my partner and I had to be spot-on. The thing we did initially — and this is what I loved about dancing with Cheryl [Burke] — we’d established the boundaries before we even got there, and she was respectful, and I was respectful. I knew I had to have a connection with her that came across as real — like actors. So, when it came to the dance floor, me and my partner were connected and nothing outside of that routine and that dance floor mattered at that time.

What was it like to return to the stage and dust off those dance moves for Super Bowl Night?

I had to dust off a whole lot! It was fun. We had to learn the routine and picked it up fairly quickly. It took some reps, but once you’ve got it, you’ve got it.

Speaking of Super Bowl Night, I’ve gotta ask you for your Super Bowl prediction this year. Who do you think has what it takes to go all the way?

Well, I would say the undefeated teams look pretty good right now — the 49ers… Are the Bills undefeated? They look good, too. And Kansas City looks pretty good. Mahomes has a true running back now that everyone has to respect, and that’s a big difference.

That was a strange thing that happened to Kenneth Walker III. I don’t think I’d ever seen someone win Super Bowl MVP and then not get re-signed by their team. I think that maybe speaks to the level of disrespect toward running backs in the modern-day NFL. Running backs today are underpaid and overlooked.

You know what that reminds me of? That reminds me of Saquon Barkley and the New York Giants. You let go of your best player for what?! For a quarterback [Daniel Jones] who you ended up getting rid of anyway. That’s the disrespect that you’re talking about. Even with Kenneth Walker III, they went with Sam Darnold as the quarterback and let Kenneth Walker III get away. And Kenneth Walker III went to the right team with head coach Andy Reid, a great offensive coordinator in Eric Bieniemy, Patrick Mahomes and a very competitive team. Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the National Football League right now. The running game in Kansas City is a lot better than people are giving it credit for.

I know the NFL is chugging along well as a business, but what are some things you feel the NFL could be doing better?

The NFL wants players to be very professional and consistent, and I think some of the rules — some of the pass-interference calls, phantom calls and ticky-tack stuff — need to be toned down and harnessed. There is obvious holding going on when you see a guy getting his jersey tugged or getting grabbed inside of the shoulder pads, but some of those things are light. They review everything else, so why can’t they review pass-interference calls?

How do you feel about the Taylor Swift effect on the NFL? She’s really increased the popularity of the league among women, but I understand some male fans have mixed feelings about her presence at games.

Why would it be a controversial matter? She’s there to support her husband and she doesn’t care about all this other stuff, but the networks do. The networks are exposing everything because of who she is. She’s not looking for the damn camera! She’s trying to be Taylor Swift, wife to Travis Kelce, and is trying to enjoy life. She’s not going, “Put me on the camera! I’m here!” Most stars aren’t even like that. The media needs something to talk about, this is fresh and new, and she’s a big star. Do I like it? No. Can I do anything about it? No. Can she do anything about it? No. The only thing she can do is not show up at the games, and who wants to do that? She’s just trying to be herself. That’s what losing your anonymity truly means — people follow you.

There was a coordinated social media effort by the NFL to allow some of the league’s star quarterbacks — namely Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow and Jaxson Dart — to have their popular girlfriends canoodling with them at preseason practices. A video went viral of Madison Beer caressing Justin Herbert’s hair at practice. How do you feel about that?

It shouldn’t be a policy. It’s a poor policy. The reason why it’s a poor policy is: Girlfriends do change. Wives sometimes change, but they don’t change as often as girlfriends do. And if you’re going to do it for three [people], you have to do it for everyone — not just a select few — and that’s where the hypocrisy of that scenario comes into play for me. Plus, that in and of itself has no place in the game at practice. Ain’t no way in the world Jimmy Johnson would allow it! And at the end of the day, I don’t think players want it either, because this is their job! This isn’t the place to be flirty-flirty! You’re there to work. Get your social media content afterward.

It’s the 20-year anniversary of you winning “Dancing with the Stars” and the 30-year anniversary of the last time the Cowboys won the Super Bowl, with you leading the way. What gives, man? Why has it taken so long for the Cowboys to win another Super Bowl? And do you think Jerry Jones needs to loosen his grip on the franchise?

First of all, I’m not even going to talk about what Jerry should do. There’s a lot to unpack in your question. As to why it’s taken so long, there was a blueprint that was established that showed us how to build a franchise.

Great offensive line and running game?

All of that. And I think the Cowboys are trying to get to that blueprint. Jimmy did a great job of leveraging all the draft picks from the Herschel Walker trade, but he also had systems in place that met the talent head-on. The offensive system under Norv Turner in ’91 made us a better football team all the way around. We went from 7-9 to 11-5 and made the playoffs, then went on a tear from that point on. Jerry and them have actually been trying to build the team, and that’s why you saw the Micah Parsons trade and the resources they got from that. Now, some of that has not panned out because the linebacker corps and secondary have to get a lot better, and the team needs more depth. In the ‘90s, we had depth. Our team was so deep that nobody could mess with us. We could rotate in the second defensive line, and nobody could mess with it. And offensively, we were so good and balanced that you had to pick your poison.

But you guys had a winning quarterback. Now, I want to qualify this by saying I am a Jets’ fan, but Dak Prescott is 2-5 in the playoffs and hasn’t been out of the Divisional Round. This is the second highest-paid player in the league behind Mahomes and he’s been with the team 11 years. Do you really think he’s the answer?

You know what? I think he’s better than your Jets’ quarterback right now [Geno Smith]!

Well, I mean, that goes without saying! But this team has higher aspirations than my Jets.

OK, let’s start with that! But who else are you going to put there? No one. Everyone else is already occupied. He’s the best we’ve got, and he’s the best opportunity we have to win. He’s putting up 30 points! And then our defense is giving up 30 points. So, what are we talking about? The glass is half full and we’re asking Dak to fill the rest of it.

You think Dak Prescott is getting too much crap for the Cowboys losing.

Oh, I know he is! But he’s going to get all the credit when they win. I mean, he did not look good the other night [against the Buccaneers], but nobody looked good. And the Cowboys went to Brazil! They went to Brazil, then came back to play the Texans in a very emotional game, spent all of their energy, and then played on a Thursday.

I’m trying to picture what would happen if they sent your ‘90s Cowboys team down to Brazil.

We probably would’ve never came back!

Michael Irvin would still be in Brazil.

Hey, you know Michael liked the vibe!

Which brings me to my next question: How crazy did the White House get?

I don’t know what you’re talking about! The White House in D.C.?

In Irving, Texas.

I don’t know what you’re talking about! I’m not going to confirm or deny!

You said that you believe Derrick Henry could break your all-time rushing record. Do you still believe that? And who are some other running backs that excite you right now?

Yes, I do think it’s possible. All records are made to be broken; and people may not realize this, but Derrick Henry broke my state high school rushing record, so there’s no doubt in my mind he has the ability to do it. The record is about longevity and consistency, and he’s had both of those things. He takes care of his body, is a big guy and runs well. He just has to get tired of chasing it, and I don’t think he’s tired of chasing it right now. He just ran for 100 yards the other night. As long as they keep giving him the ball, he’ll be fine.

One thing with the NFL that’s never made sense to me is that the penalty for smoking marijuana is the same as domestic violence. You’ll get suspended around the same amount of games for those two things.

Well, I’ve never partaken in either one of those. I was one of those guys that never got suspended because I had a certain level of discipline and focus. Does the punishment fit the crime? I don’t know. They’re both bad. I think the physical aspect on another person is even worse, because it’s one thing to do something to yourself and another to do something to another person. The physical stuff should carry a stiffer penalty.

I want to go back to running backs in the NFL. Why do you think the league underpays and overlooks running backs? Is there a racial element to it?

I hear what you’re saying. It ain’t weird and it’s pretty obvious: The league wants to promote the quarterback position. The quarterback is the franchise player, and that’s the mindset of every owner and every team. That’s the most marquee position on the football field, they touch the ball more than any other player and run the offense. Having said that, just because that position is that doesn’t mean that guy is the guy. If you have Saquon Barkley or Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson back there — right now, some running backs are better than the quarterbacks they have.

If you have Patrick Mahomes under center, that’s one thing. There’s only one Patrick Mahomes. The problem is that they’re not all the same, and the league wants to put all quarterbacks in the same category, but they’re not. They play the same position, but they’re not the same classification. Mahomes is so far ahead of so many other quarterbacks. So, they draft guys — whether it’s Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert, Jaxson Dart or whoever these guys be — to be the franchise player, and then build everything around the franchise player, but a lot of these guys aren’t performing like franchise players. Outside of Brock Purdy, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, which of these guys are performing like franchise players? I thought Joe Burrow would be on his way, but he hasn’t gotten over that threshold, and yet people still treat him like “Cool Joe.” At the end of the day, it’s about performance.

Do you think the NFL can be doing more to protect its players?

No, man. They’re already protecting these boys enough. They don’t fight as hard!

We know CTE is a huge problem. Do you have any nagging injuries since your time in the NFL?

I do. Even practicing for “Dancing with the Stars,” my big toe was hurting. I dislocated my big toe my last year of football with the Cardinals, and going on the dance floor reminds me about it.

Lastly, would you be interested in coaching the Cowboys?

I would never say never, but I don’t think I would ever have a chance to coach the Cowboys. I think I’d want to coach at the University of Florida or Texas A&M. That would be great.