NFL Legend Emmitt Smith Accuses League Of 'Lying'

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Feb 10, 2026 12:16 PM ET

Dallas Cowboys legend Emmit Smith isn't afraid to speak his mind, that's for sure.

Prior to Super Bowl LX, the Hall of Fame running back made plenty of notable comments at Radio Row in San Francisco. For starters, he called out the Cleveland Browns for refusing to hand their starting quarterback job to Shedeur Sanders.

“I guess coaches want to make sure guys know there’s no security in their position and they want them to be as competitive as possible. No one wants to hand anything to them. This is how they’re treating Shedeur. But they handed it [the starting job] to Drake Maye. They also handed it to the kid in Jacksonville [Trevor Lawrence],” Smith said. “What does Cleveland have? Absolutely nothing. So what’s the debate? Are you going to give it to Dillon [Gabriel] again?”

Smith also ripped the NFL for flirting with the idea of an 18-game regular season.

"Stop lying to people," Smith told Front Office Sports. "Tell people that the 18th game is about extra money because that’s really what it’s about."

Emmitt Smith, NFL Hall of Fame running back who played for Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, takes on raising awareness and breaking down stigma around opioid emergencies with the Ready to Rescue initiative, talking about it in Greenville, S.C. Friday, September 6, 2024. Smith, scheduled to be at the Clemson football home opener at a tailgate to talk about opioid risks, also will present the game ball to a local hero on First Responders Day.© Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK.

Is an 18-game season inevitable?

During last week's Super Bowl press conference, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was asked about potentially adding another week to the regular-season schedule. He claims an 18-game season isn't a certainty at this time.

"We have not had any formal discussions about it and frankly very little of any informal conversations," Goodell said. "It is not a given that we will do that. It's not something we assume will happen. It's something we want to talk about with the union leadership."

If the NFL expands the regular-season schedule, players may push for a second bye week. At the very least, they'll want to be compensated fairly for putting their bodies on the line.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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