NFL legend Emmitt Smith rips University of Florida for eliminating DEI positions

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Emmitt Smith, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys and former star running back with the Florida Gators, ripped his alma mater after the school fired all Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) positions and administrative appointments.

The university made its decision to comply with Florida law. 

The Florida Board of Governors passed a regulation in January that limited public funding for DEI, defining them as "any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification."

The Independent Florida Alligator, a campus newspaper, said 13 full-time diversity, equity and inclusion positions were dismissed and 15 administrative appointments were eliminated.

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Emmitt Smith at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards from Ford Center at The Star on May 11, 2023, in Frisco, Texas. (Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images)

Smith, on Sunday, slammed the university in a lengthy statement.

"I’m utterly disgusted by UF’s decision and the precedent that it sets," Smith said. "Without the DEI department, the job falls to the Office of the Provost, who already has their hands full, to raise money for the university and continue to advance the academic studies in athletic programs.

"We cannot continue to believe and trust that a team of leaders all made up of the same background will make the right decision when it comes to