On a side note...That's an interesting criteria. Does that mean nobody can be inducted posthumously?? Seems kind of odd.
Uh, you can't say Emmitt wasn't going to his daughter's recital, that's just your opinion. Uh, the fact is that there is a recital, and uh, general consensus among people in the know is that Emmitt is a strong family man.
Uh, why would his agent ask for money if he was planning on going to his daughter's recital. It appears that family only means so much to Smith.
"The problem with Emmitt is that his marketing 'team' is ruining his reputation by doing some unsavory things behind his back. Most of the time, Emmitt is completely unaware of what his team is doing. If I were him, I'd fire the entire staff. They've already done enough damage as it is." The above paragraph was paraphrased from a conversation I had with my ex-boss at the Cowboys (a VP of the organization and a very good friend of Emmitt's) late last year. At the time of the conversation, Topps (my company) was considering purchasing a license that Emmitt's team was hawking, called "Run With History." Irked by the ridiculous cost Emmitt (i.e. his staff) wanted for the license, I placed a call to my ex-boss to see what was going on. Hence, the above quote... All I can say is that I've met Emmitt, and he is indeed a classy guy. In fact, I never met anyone within the Cowboys organization who didn't think he was a stand-up guy. You might hate Emmitt's style of play. You might loathe the team he plays for. You might even resent him for breaking the rushing record. However, do not hate Emmitt, the person, because I assure you that your hatred is unwarranted. He may not be completely blame-free here, but we don't know for sure because his side of the story has not been presented. And oh, BTW, Topps paid the outrageous license fee. Emmitt's "Run With History" cards (autograph and relic versions) are available in 2002 Topps Pristine FB...
That's Emmitt's standard appearance fee. That fee was asked for when the agent had the first conversation with the TSHOF. I'm not saying his agent didn't screw up, or that Emmitt doesn't need to keep his agent in check, but you don't know if this wasn't a PR screw up caused by Emmitt holding out for more money or him trusting his agent too much.
Just a side note...I do charity work in Newark,NJ and several years back, we had a softball game with some of the NY Giants to raise money and so the kids could get autographs etc. We contacted Pepper Johnson (not sure if you rememebr him but he played with LT, Banks et al) and he got guys like Keith Hamilton, Dave Megget and some others, along with himself to play. His appearance fee was 10 grand. Obviously, if Pepper Johnson is going to charge the people of Newark, NJ to play a friendly game of softball and sign some balls, then its not so outrageous that a guy like Emmitt Smith charges for something like this.
in my opinion, its worse to charge a fee to a charity then it is to charge an association that is honoring him...you should want to do charity work, especially someone who is a pro athlete making serious money
Emmitt Smith's character more impressive than his Hall of Fame stats By JAIME ARON November 02, 2002 IRVING, Texas (AP) - After Daryl Johnston had neck surgery, family and friends urged him to quit football. He refused, partly because it was so important for him to keep opening holes for Emmitt Smith. When Troy Aikman retired, the most emotional part of his farewell speech was sharing a conversation with Smith. "I told Emmitt, 'There's nothing I would've loved more than to be on the field when you break Walter Payton's record."' In his dying days, Payton wanted someone for his son, Jarrett, to look up to. Even though Barry Sanders was closer to the rushing record, Payton turned to Smith and said: "E, I want you to do me a favour. I want you to just talk to him and try to be there for him as much as you possibly can." For all Smith has accomplished - 16,743 yards, four rushing titles, three Super Bowl championships - statistics go only so far in describing his legacy. A better way to view Smith is through the loyalty of his friends and the universal respect he commands, as a man first, running back second. Smith has demonstrated class, humility and grace long after learning that his athletic gifts set him apart from his peers. That's a rarity these days. Sports pages are filled with stories of spoiled players who cultivate bad-boy images. They do so because they can, knowing their talent enables them to stretch the rules. Smith has the same calibre of talent, yet he's never needed to draw attention to himself. It's especially admirable, considering Smith's motivation has always been proving his doubters wrong. Remember when the Cowboys' reputation was sullied by arrests and other embarrassing episodes in the mid- to late 1990s? Smith was never part of it. "He's been smart," said former teammate Michael Irvin, who probably wishes he'd followed Smith's lead. Simply put, Smith is one of the good guys. He's modest, and if he uses his fame and wealth for anything, it's often to help others. A few weeks ago, he was entertaining kids in the carpool line at his daughters' school. Parents seeing him there for the first time were star-struck. Others smiled and said, "That's Emmitt." A few years ago, Smith - a dominoes junkie - learned about another tile game, mah-jongg. He was invited to a woman's house with the promise that her friends would teach him how to play. To their surprise and delight, he showed up. Smith knows people get a kick out of seeing him in such situations, which in turn adds to his enjoyment. He certainly relished getting a call from President Bush on Monday while TV cameras were gathered around his locker. Smith has understood his impact on others his entire career. He began saving the balls from his touchdowns the first time he reached the end zone. He's been back 160 times - second-most in NFL history - and still has all but about five balls. He gave those away for various, symbolic reasons. He plans to auction the rest for a charity that benefits underprivileged youths. Another gesture began in December when a child in New York gave him a steel bracelet etched with the name of a victim of the Sept. 11 attacks. Smith squeezed it on. This summer, while Smith was playing golf in Lake Tahoe with some New York City fire fighters, one of them noticed the bracelet honoring his former boss, Deputy Chief Ray Downey. Today, Smith says he only takes it off to play football. Smith was quite busy this summer, starting with the birth of his son, Emmitt IV, on his 33rd birthday. He received the Spirit of Sweetness Award from the Walter Payton Foundation, was appointed to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, was the guest of honour at Shaquille O'Neal's comedy roast and received a role model award from the Dallas All-Sports Association. Some of the best tributes to Smith's character come from the folks in Pensacola, Fla., where he was born and raised, along with three brothers, two sisters and two loving parents. When Smith visits several times a year, folks smile, wave and treat him like one of their own. No more, no less. His stature in the community is best felt at Escambia High, where a sign in front reads Home of Emmitt Smith. The football field will soon bear his name. Since leading the school to national acclaim from 1983 to '86, Smith has paid to upgrade the weight room and spent $16,000 on rings proclaiming the team "North Florida champs" after they lost the state championship. He gave $5,000 so a crosstown rival could buy championship rings. He also contributes to a scholarship fund for all Pensacola schoolchildren, and every Christmas a big truck rolls into his old neighborhood with gifts for kids. "I'm not sure everyone knows it's from Emmitt," said Delores Morris, principal of a Pensacola middle school. "He doesn't want the thank yous. He's doing it from his heart." Morris was Escambia's dean of students when Smith was there; he was her student assistant his junior and senior years. Smith already was a star player by then, but Morris said "it never affected him negatively, only positively." "Now," she said, "he's an inspiration and a motivating entity for young people that you can be all that and still be a good student and a good athlete. A lot of people don't think they go hand-in-hand." Smith proved it again in 1996 when he fulfiled a promise to his mother by graduating from college. He left Florida after his junior year but earned his degree six years later. Payton once said he wanted "to set the record so high that the next person who tries for it, it's going to bust their heart." Smith has proved he has the heart to handle it.
So he made one PR gaffe, and it sounds more like his agent's gaffe anyway.....he's been known as a solid guy. I HATE the Cowboys (I'm from DC originally), but I have always respected and enjoyed watching Emmitt. My wife (who is from Pittsburgh and enjoys going to sports bars just to root against the Cowboys and piss of the fans) even wanted him to break the record. I hope this gets cleared up and he gets inducted next year.
Uh, why would his agent ask for money if he was planning on going to his daughter's recital. It appears that family only means so much to Smith. Perhaps the dance wasn't scheduled as of a couple of months ago when the whole appearance fee fiasco occurred. I don't know much about dances for 7-year olds, but it doesn't necessarily seem like they would need to be scheduled all that far in advance.
<B>If</B> true, it still doesn't change the fact that he was demanding money. I don't doubt that he's got a recital to go to, and good for him that he's taken an interest in his kids (novel concept, yeah, I know).
So agents ALWAYS tell the truth I guess, and they ALWAYS have the players best interest at heart too huh? Boy, some of you people are really reaching on this one. I would understand if it was actually Emmitt himself that said he wanted to get paid before attending the ceremony but it wasn't. If it didn't come from Emmitt's own mouth then it holds no water. Try again losers, fact is Emmitt is a class act in the truest sense of the words.
Then why did the NFL have to institute a rule (know league-wide as the "Emmitt Smith Rule") banning players from removing their helmets on the field, as a direct result of Emmitt's practice of immediately taking his helmet off in the end-zone & mugging for the cameras?
Because the NFL is trying to take all the fun out of watching football. The NFL is trying to stop all celebrations not just the removing of the helmet. They also put in a rule that prevents more than two people celebrating a TD. Remember when the Rams use to do that bob & weave dance after someone scored ... want to guess why they don't do it anymore ... No Fun League
