BATON ROUGE — A fifteen-year veteran of the NFL, former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith stopped by LSU during his third year with the Ready to Rescue initiative, focused on breaking down the stigma around opioid poisonings.

Smith and Release Recovery Founder Zac Clark visited 2une In on Wednesday to share how the organization aims to save lives with NARCAN Nasal Spray. 

Smith spoke about his personal connection to the opioid epidemic.

"I've lost a teammate to an opioid overdose, and my sister-in-law, who passed away from Stage 4 cancer, she dealt with a bout of it as well in terms of having an overdose on medication," Smith said. 

Smith said that he has made sure his five children know the risks of accidental overdose and the lesser-known risks of synthetic opioids like fentanyl.

"I wanted to get out and lend a voice to something that's a bigger problem," Smith said.

Smith and Clark also wanted to make sure everyone knows how to use NARCAN using the "Lay, Spray, Stay" method.