When Hall-of-Fame Running Back, Emmitt Smith retired early in 2005, he already planned out the second half of his life.
He knew that among people who weren't fans, or football buddies of his -- especially outside of the markets where they play -- were often more shielded from public recognition than other athletes.
"Unlike basketball and other sports where you're able to see the faces clearer," Smith said. "That's the challenge that most football players have to overcome." And Smith didn't intend for his public life to end after football.
"I went and studied and -- learned about the real estate development business," he said. He is now the "Smith" in a joint venture called Smith-Cypress Partners, which includes former Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach.
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His big third-season win on "Dancing With The Stars" in 2006 gave him priceless exposure of both his face and personality. But not all football players have had the same luck as Emmitt.
READ: Junior Seau, The Truth Behind Black Suicide
In the aftermath of former All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau's suicide in 2012, Emmitt Smith took to Twitter to express his condolences. He also reached out to current and former players to wake up to the new reality facing all of them regarding life after football and the issues of head trauma and depression.
Smith, who is not only the league's all-time leading rusher but who also has more carries than anyone in NFL history, admits he worries if the game will take a toll on him mentally and physically one day.
"Why wouldn't I worry?" Smith said. "The evidence is starting to pile up. You are talking to a guy who carried the ball more than anybody in NFL history. I pray about it."
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Smith said he doesn't know exactly what happened with Seau, but it's personal for him because the two were...
... rookies together in 1990 and his first game was against Seau and the Chargers at Texas Stadium.
"I don't know all the details around his death outside of the suicide speculation, which I guess is a good assessment," Smith said. "What you don't know is what Junior was going through. You never know what another person is going through. A lot of people on Twitter and elsewhere want to know how somebody with that much money can be depressed and commit suicide."
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Smith said it frustrates him when people think that athletes or celebrities shouldn't have problems because they supposedly have money.
"It's never about the money," Smith said. "It's about the individual person, whether that person has fulfillment in life, having meaning and find a way to have joy and peace in their life. If you don't have those things and don't have a sense of self worth left, depression can set in and lead to other things. It's just a sad situation. I don't look at it lightly. I don't know if it was head trauma or not.
"Where Junior was at today mentally, players may not identify with because they are in the now. He was in the yesterday. They have to realize his yesterday is their tomorrow. Just going through life itself and through the transitions of leaving a sport we all played for a number of years. Sometimes when that light goes out it's hard to find another light that fuels you."
For more information on head injuries to the brain, click here.
