Emmitt Smith defends Taylor Swift attending Travis Kelce’s NFL games amid backlash from male football fans: “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.”

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 legend and all-time leading rusher spoke to Variety about his “Dancing with the Stars” cameo on Super Bowl Night and so much more.

This is a big year for Emmitt Smith.

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.

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.

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.

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.