NFL Legend Emmitt Smith Defends Taylor Swift's Behavior At Games

He's defending it in public fashion.

by Andrew Holleran

Oct 15, 2026

Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith.

Legendary NFL star Emmitt Smith is defending Taylor Swift’s behavior at Kansas City Chiefs games.

Swift, who is married to Chiefs star Travis Kelce, has been attending Kansas City games for several years now. She and Kelce first started dating during the 2023 NFL season. She made her first public appearance at a Chiefs game that fall.

Over the years, NFL fans have grown frustrated by broadcast networks showing Swift, repeatedly, in the suites during Chiefs games. It’s become less of a complaint in recent seasons, as fans have gotten more and more used to it, but in 2023 and ’24 it was a pretty major issue for some.

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.

Legendary NFL star Emmitt Smith, though, is defending her behavior. He believes that she’s doing nothing wrong.

And he’s right.

Cowboys legend defends Swift’s behavior at NFL games

Smith told Variety in a recent interview that there’s nothing wrong with Swift’s appearance at games.

“Why would it be a controversial matter? She’s there to support her husband and she doesn’t care about all this other stuff, but the networks do. The networks are exposing everything because of who she is. She’s not looking for the damn camera!” Smith said.

Smith, one of the best running backs in NFL history, says that she’s just being herself.

“She’s just trying to be herself. That’s what losing your anonymity truly means — people follow you,” Smith said.

Smith, meanwhile, thinks that it’s an issue to constantly promote wives and girlfriends.

“It shouldn’t be a policy. It’s a poor policy. The reason why it’s a poor policy is: Girlfriends do change. Wives sometimes change, but they don’t change as often as girlfriends do. And if you’re going to do it for three [people], you have to do it for everyone — not just a select few — and that’s where the hypocrisy of that scenario comes into play for me,” Smith said.

The Chiefs will play the Chargers on Sunday.