Who can forget Emmitt Smith playing through the pain of a separated shoulder to shred the New York Giants in the final game of the 1993 regular season? The Hall of Fame running back -- the soul of those Dallas Cowboys teams -- will always be remembered for his courage on that frigid day at the Meadowlands.
The 16-13 overtime win secured the NFC East for Dallas en route to the team's victory in Super Bowl XXVIII.
Smith is one of the NFL's all-time tough guys, but the research into the long-term physical effects of a life in football have him concerned.
"Why wouldn't I worry," Smith told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, via ProFootballTalk.com. "The evidence is starting to pile up. You are talking to a guy who carried the ball more than anybody in NFL history. So why wouldn't I worry. I pray about it."
Smith's 4,409 carries featured a handful of golden, untouched gallops into the end zone, but more regularly, he encountered defenders coached to key on the back and wear him down as games progressed. And those carries don't reflect the countless shots he took away from the ball.
Smith pondered the psychological challenge of adjusting to life after the games are over, a transition now in focus following the tragic passing of Junior Seau: "At the end of the day it's about personal choice and it's about finding your way through life," Smith said. "That's not an easy thing to do for people who have been to the top so to speak in one area and then find themselves in a life in valley afterwards."
