Stephen A. Smith sounds off at receiving racist comments following his O.J. Simpson take
Stephen A. Smith had let his thoughts on O.J. Simpson and his legacy be known. And he is now expounding on them
During the BET Awards, a tribute to the Hall of Fame running back and alleged double-murderer of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman appeared, shocking a sizable portion of the audience. A disgusted Smith went on a brutal rant on Wednesday's episode of his eponymous show which was later attacked by actor Faizon Love and rapper Willie D.
“This Stephen A Smith, man, where do you n***as come from? Do they groom you n***as? Where the f**k do you come from? You mad because BET is celebrating OJ, who else is gonna celebrate him? Are you f***ing stupid? He was found innocent, n***a! In a court of law! The white law!" said Faizon Love
Smith addressed the criticism on his show two days later (starts at 8:45):
"Am I stupid? Respectfully my brother, are you? I know what the hell I said. I stand by it. I'm not budging one inch... There is no one on a planet that was devoid of an opinion about OJ Simpson. Me having one is not a crime. Do I think he was guilty? Yes."
For further context, here is what he said about the tribute:
"Clearly [the audience] didn’t approve of that. Clearly most people were shocked by that. And they should be. In the eyes of most people, regardless of an acquittal, O.J. Simpson is a double murderer."
Stephen A. Smith causing tensions at ESPN as First Take host nears end of contract
Speaking of tension, ESPN has a major Stephen A. Smith issue right now.
The current face of First Take has been absent from the show for a week now, and there are reports that he wants $25 million annually for his next contract. However, his colleagues do not want it to happen, given their displeasure with the antics of him and Shannon Sharpe, who joined the program last September from Fox Sports.
An insider recently told the US Sun that the staff have been "considering quitting" as a result:
"It's a very frustrating situation. Stephen and Shannon think that the show is them and nobody else is as important."
"The situation has to change soon, or it will turn into an impossible situation to deal with. I used to enjoy going to work, but right now, I wake up in the morning not wanting to go in. It’s pretty much team Smith and Sharpe against everybody else."
First Take has yet to address the matter as of this writing. The show will take three days off next week as ESPN focuses on Wimbledon coverage.