(Photo courtesy of Emergent BioSolutions)

By Liv Osby

An opioid overdose can occur anytime, anyplace, Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith says. 

So the former Dallas Cowboys running back will be at Clemson University on Saturday to host a “Ready to Rescue” tailgate event before the Tigers’ college football home opener against Appalachian State. 

“I’ve had experiences in my past with teammates who died of overdoses in the late 90s … and I have a friend who lost his son in recent years to an opioid overdose,” Smith told Greenville Business Magazine.

“Since the rise of fentanyl, and overdoses like Matthew Perry and others, it’s a significant issue going on around the country, but not a lot of people are talking about it,” he added. “This is an opportunity to spread more awareness.”

In 2022, 2,296 people died of an overdose in the Palmetto State – 73 percent of them were fentanyl-involved and 25 percent were cocaine-involved with fentanyl, according to the state Department of Public Health. 

In fact, fentanyl-related overdose deaths increased 11 percent between 2021 and 2022 alone, the agency reports.

At the tailgate event, Smith will meet with fans and help educate students, parents and others about the risks of opioids by promoting a national program that encourages people to carry NARCAN, or naloxone, an over-the-counter nasal spray that can reverse the effects of overdose from oxycodone, morphine, fentanyl and other opioids. 

“Oftentimes people don’t know what to do,” he said. “I want people to ... keep it on you at all times. Treat it like pepper spray or your cell phone … to be prepared for anything at any time.”

As part of a program to improve access to naloxone, as well as fentanyl test strips, the state Department of Public Health is providing complimentary Overdose Prevention Safety Kits at its health clinics.

“The distribution of NARCAN is an important strategy in our aim at providing a vital second chance for those facing overdose,” said DaAsia Hamilton, DPH Substance Use Prevention Director. 

“By ensuring that NARCAN and fentanyl testing strips are readily available where it’s needed the most,” she said, “together we can save lives and support healthier communities.”   

Every day in America, 219 people die of an overdose and more than 1,000 wind up in ERs with an opioid emergency, according to the Ready to Rescue website - readytorescue.com 

In a video promoting the awareness campaign, Smith promotes the “Lay, Spray, Stay” method of dealing with an overdose.

“It depends on the situation,” he said, “but if you have someone sitting in a sofa and they’re unresponsive, the first thing is to get them down on the ground as safe as possible without injury, and then insert the NARCAN spray into the nose.”

Next, he said, you should call 9-1-1 and stay with the person. 

Smith said he’s made sure that his five children are aware of this process, too, because they may come upon someone in need.

“You never know,” he said. “An overdose can occur anywhere, anytime.”

Smith spent 15 seasons in the National Football League earning three Super Bowl championship rings. 

As a first-round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft, Smith was the cornerstone of the Dallas Cowboys offense for 13 seasons. 

The eight-time Pro Bowler was the first player in NFL history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in 11 consecutive seasons and on Oct. 27, 2002 he surpassed Walter Payton as the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. 

Later, he was a TV football analyst, an author, and today he operates a real estate development company that builds shopping centers and multi-family housing, among other projects, as well as a construction company that builds roads and bridges. 

He is active in charitable outreach in the Dallas area and on a national level, providing educational opportunities and unique experiences for underserved youth. 

Recently, he said, he opened his name-sake restaurant, Emmitt’s, in Las Vegas.

While he’s never been to Clemson before, he’s looking forward to watching the game and will also present the game ball to a local hero in honor of First Responders Day. 

“We will continue to spread the word around opioid overdoses,” he said, “and also the preventive medicine to … preserve a life.”