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

Emmitt Smith advises son EJ to ignore NFL legacy pressure

Emmitt Smith counseled his son EJ, a Texas A&M running back nearing the NFL draft, to disregard external expectations and focus on his own path. The NFL Hall of Famer recalled a high school moment when EJ asked how to handle pressure from comparisons to his father, the league's all-time leading rusher. Smith responded by questioning EJ's personal goals and urging him to run his own race with blinders on.

In a recent interview, Smith detailed the exchange. "He came to me one day, he asked the question, 'How do I deal with all the pressure?' ... I said, 'What are your expectations? Are your expectations any different than what they want for you?' And he said, 'No.' I said, 'Where's the pressure?" EJ primarily served as a backup during his college career but earned a workout with the Dallas Cowboys, Smith's longtime team, earlier this month.

Emmitt Smith holds the NFL record for career rushing yards with 18,355 over 15 seasons, mostly with Dallas, and won three Super Bowls. He stressed to EJ the need to hone his craft amid scrutiny. "You gotta run your race, and you gotta disregard what other people are saying ... Put your blinders on. Run your race. You like the horses at the Kentucky Derby."

The Smiths discuss all topics as father and son. Ahead of the draft later this month, Emmitt advised EJ to avoid television coverage. "I told him on draft day, go play golf, go hang out, don't even look at the damn TV. Let your agent call you."