NFL legend Emmitt Smith is warning college athletes at his alma mater, the University of Florida, to use their voices to speak out against the school’s decision to shut down its diversity, equity and inclusion office and sever contracts promoting inclusivity with outside vendors.

Smith is a distinguished alumnus of the university, where he broke 58 school records, became the 1989 SEC Player of the Year, and was a three-time All-SEC pick. Throughout his professional football career and even into his decades long retirement, he has remained an invested member of the Gator Nation. However, the school’s March 1 pivot to do away with DEI initiatives is a step in the wrong direction, according to Smith, who, like others, condemned the politically motivated choice.

“I’m utterly disgusted by UF’s decision and the precedent that it sets. 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 and athletic programs,” he said in a statement shared on Twitter on Sunday (March 3).

The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee further noted, “We cannot continue to believe and trust that a team of leaders made up of the same background will make the right decision when it comes to equality and diversity. History has already proven that is not the case. We need diverse thinking and backgrounds to enhance our university, and the DEI department is necessary to accomplish those goals.”

Adding that, “Instead of showing courage and leadership, we continued to fail based on systemic issues, and with this decision, UF has conformed to the political pressure of today’s time. To the many minority athletes at UF, please be aware and vocal about this decision by the university, [which] is now closing the doors on other minorities without any oversight. And to those who think it’s not your problem and stay on the sidelines and say nothing, you are complicit in supporting systemic issues.”

Last year, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation banning schools from using state funding for DEI programs. The bill went into effect on July 1, 2023. The Florida Board of Governors backed up the bill when they approved a regulation reiterating the ban.

However, the former Cowboys star is not alone in speaking out against changes at the institution. Elected members of the student body published a collective response in the Independent Florida Gator newspaper.

They wrote, “We stand in strong opposition to anti-DEI policies and regulations implemented and enforced by the state and the Florida Board of Governors. An inclusive university is not only about the policies we enact; it’s about the message we send to our current and future students, faculty and staff. The message should be clear: the Gator Nation is a place where diversity, equity and inclusion ought to be protected.”

In a leaked administrative memo, the school said its $5 million DEI budget will be allocated to a "faculty recruitment fund" overseen by the Office of the Provost.