Emmitt Smith on Dancing with the Stars, Taylor Swift at NFL games and the Cowboys under Dak Prescott
In a Variety interview, Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith discussed his Dancing with the Stars anniversary, Taylor Swift's NFL presence and Dak Prescott's Cowboys. Fox News' OutKick section picked out his comments on Swift.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 1Emmitt Smith, 57, the NFL's all-time leading rusher and a Hall of Famer, gave a wide-ranging interview to Variety, published on 14 October 2026. VarietyLC “Smith, 57, has partnered with AT&T, the official voting partner of the show”“The NFL’s all-time leading rusher, Hall of Famer and anchor of the Dallas Cowboys’ hard-partying dynasty” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Smith is marking 30 years since his last Super Bowl win, which was also the last time the Cowboys won it all, and 20 years since he won ABC's "Dancing with the Stars"; he has partnered with AT&T, the show's official voting partner, on a series of social videos. VarietyLC “celebrating the 30-year anniversary of his final Super Bowl win”“Smith, 57, has partnered with AT&T, the official voting partner of the show, to connect with fans” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1He also danced on the 13 October Super Bowl Night episode of the show alongside fellow alumni and ex-NFL players DeMarcus Ware, Donald Driver and Danny Amendola. VarietyLC “dancing it up on the Oct. 13 episode alongside fellow DWTS alums/ex-NFL players DeMarcus Ware, Donald Driver and Danny Amendola” Read at Variety ↗
Mixed · 2On Taylor Swift's presence at games, Smith said she is there to support her husband, Travis Kelce, and is not seeking the cameras, and that the networks are the ones giving her exposure. VarietyLC “She’s there to support her husband and she doesn’t care about all this other stuff, but the networks do.” Read at Variety ↗ Fox NewsR “The networks are exposing everything because of who she is. She’s not looking for the damn camera!” Read at Fox News ↗ Mixed · 2Smith added that he does not like the attention but that neither he nor Swift can change it short of her staying away from games, saying "That’s what losing your anonymity truly means — people follow you." VarietyLC “Do I like it? No. Can I do anything about it? No.” Read at Variety ↗ Fox NewsR “That’s what losing your anonymity truly means — people follow you.” Read at Fox News ↗ Mixed · 2Smith also called a poor policy the NFL's promotion of star players' partners, saying girlfriends change more often than wives and that it would have to be applied to everyone; he said he does not think players want it. VarietyLC “It shouldn’t be a policy. It’s a poor policy.” Read at Variety ↗ Fox NewsR “During training camp, the NFL coordinated a social media effort to feature star quarterbacks such as Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow and Jaxson Dart with their girlfriends” Read at Fox News ↗
Left · 1On the Cowboys, Smith declined to say what owner Jerry Jones should do, said the team is trying to follow the blueprint of the 1990s and pointed to the Micah Parsons trade and its resources, while saying the linebackers, secondary and depth must improve. VarietyLC “First of all, I’m not even going to talk about what Jerry should do.”“that’s why you saw the Micah Parsons trade and the resources they got from that” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Of quarterback Dak Prescott, Smith said "He’s the best we’ve got, and he’s the best opportunity we have to win," noting the offence scores about 30 points while the defence also gives up about 30. VarietyLC “He’s the best we’ve got, and he’s the best opportunity we have to win. He’s putting up 30 points!” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Smith also said running backs are disrespected, citing Saquon Barkley's departure from the Giants and Kenneth Walker III's move to Kansas City; he said Derrick Henry can break his career rushing record; and said that physical domestic violence deserves a stiffer penalty than drug offences, as he has never taken part in either. VarietyLC “Derrick Henry broke my state high school rushing record, so there’s no doubt in my mind he has the ability to do it.”“The physical stuff should carry a stiffer penalty.” Read at Variety ↗
Right · 1Fox News' OutKick section reported only the Swift and partner-policy remarks on 15 October, saying Swift has become an "Anti-Hero" for some football fans, and noted that a Monday Night Football broadcast showed players' wives such as Hailee Steinfeld and Kelly Stafford. Fox NewsR “Taylor Swift has certainly become an "Anti-Hero" for football fans”“the ESPN broadcast showed Josh Allen’s wife, Hailee Steinfeld, and Matthew Stafford’s wife, Kelly Stafford” Read at Fox News ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Variety ran a long Q&A profile tied to the DWTS and Super Bowl anniversaries and the AT&T partnership, with Swift as one topic among many.
- Emphasis
- Dancing with the Stars, the Cowboys under Jerry Jones and Dak Prescott, running backs, records, discipline policy.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not frame Swift as a source of fan backlash.
- For example
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“Smith dished to Variety about everything from “Dancing with the Stars” and the state of the Dallas Cowboys under owner Jerry Jones” — Variety
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Fox News/OutKick turned the interview into a Swift story, presenting Smith as defending her against fan anger.
- Emphasis
- Swift's presence on broadcasts, fan ire, and the NFL's partner-promotion policy.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Leaves out the DWTS, Cowboys, Prescott and other topics, and the AT&T partnership behind the interview.
- Charged language
- “Anti-Hero”“draws ire of football fans”
- For example
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“Taylor Swift has certainly become an "Anti-Hero" for football fans, and the NFL’s all-time leading rusher doesn’t understand why.” — Fox News
What every side reports
- Emmitt Smith is the NFL's all-time leading rusher and a Hall of Famer.
- Smith told Variety that Taylor Swift is at games to support her husband Travis Kelce and is not seeking the camera.
- Smith called the NFL's promotion of players' partners a poor policy.
Emmitt Smith person
Smith defends Swift as a wife supporting her husband, calls the NFL's partner promotion a poor policy, and backs Prescott as the Cowboys' best option.
“He’s the best we’ve got, and he’s the best opportunity we have to win.” — Variety
“She’s not looking for the damn camera!” — Fox News
Taylor Swift person
Swift does not speak in the coverage; Smith says she is attending to support Travis Kelce and is not seeking camera attention.
“She’s trying to be Taylor Swift, wife to Travis Kelce, and is trying to enjoy life.” — Fox News
Dallas Cowboys organisation
Smith says the Cowboys are trying to rebuild toward the 1990s blueprint, but need a better linebacker corps, secondary and depth.
“the linebacker corps and secondary have to get a lot better, and the team needs more depth” — Variety
Left1 article
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Neutral Wide-ranging celebrity Q&A with Smith, mostly in his own words, led by his DWTS anniversary and AT&T tie-in.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
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NFL legend Emmitt Smith defends Taylor Swift as her presence at games draws ire of football fans
Mixed Short aggregation of the Swift remarks, framed around fan backlash and Smith's defence of her.
- 14 Oct 18:11 First VarietyLC 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’
- 15 Oct 18:07 +23h 56m Fox NewsR NFL legend Emmitt Smith defends Taylor Swift as her presence at games draws ire of football fans
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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