Dallas Draftee Smith Turns Crime Stopper

Dallas Cowboys first-round draft pick Emmitt Smith, currently a contract holdout, has become a crime stopper.

Smith, who re-enrolled at the University of Florida last week because the contract stalemate has put his NFL career on hold, chased down two students who allegedly damaged a Florida player’s car.

Smith held the students in a double headlock until campus police arrived, Orlando Sentinel columnist Larry Guest reported.

The incident occurred about 2 a.m. Saturday. Guest said campus police and those close to Smith gave this account:

Upon arriving at the athletic dormitory where he is staying with a former teammate, Smith discovered two students jumping on the hood of tight end Kirk Kirkpatrick’s Corvette.

Smith used his car phone to call university police. When the students bolted, Smith chased them down a narrow one-way street and past the campus chapel, overtaking them behind the women’s gym. He took them back to his dorm building just as an officer arrived.

The students were cited for trespass and criminal mischief.