Fred Smoot: Nobody likes Emmitt Smith

Fred Smoot spent seven of his nine years as an NFL pro with the Washington Redskins, so his hatred for the Dallas Cowboys comes naturally. The teams in the NFC East tend to dislike one another more than teams in other divisions, but what is Smoot’s beef with Emmitt Smith?

During a recent podcast with Guest House Radio (plenty of NSFW language), Smoot discussed some of his rivals and opposing players that he did not get along with. When the topic of the NFL’s all-time leading rusher came up, the former cornerback pulled no punches. Sarah Kogod of DC Sports Bog transcribed some of the podcast for us:

“Nobody that meets Emmitt Smith likes Emmitt Smith,” Smoot said. “Have you ever heard anybody say, ‘Hey man, I met that Emmitt Smith and I really love him?’ Nobody likes Emmitt Smith. I don’t know if he’s just a jerk because he’s a Cowboy. I don’t know. He be rubbing people the wrong way.”

As Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett could tell you, Smoot does not hold back when expressing an opinion about someone he doesn’t like. I understand why he hates the Cowboys, but I’m not sure what Smith did to make Smoot hate him so much. Plenty of Hall of Famers are viewed as arrogant and not well-liked, but it’s rare to hear someone trashing Emmit.