"Watch your mouth" - Stephen A. Smith checks Dan Orlovsky after ex-NFL QB takes subtle dig
Stephen A. Smith has been operating on edge over the past month. The ESPN analyst was embroiled in a public dispute with LeBron James after the Los Angeles Lakers superstar confronted him during a game at the Crypto.com Arena over his comments about his son Bronny James.
Smith claimed he would have "swung at" the four-time NBA champion had he escalated the issue. Neither fans nor James believed him, and the veteran forward even mocked him with a post on Instagram. The analyst is seemingly tired of being in the firing line and showcased that he wouldn't stand for any slander during a heated moment on Monday's episode of First Take.
The show's first hour featured Smith and former Los Angeles Clippers star Marcus Morris discussing the NBA's play-in tournament and the playoffs. Former Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky and Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe joined in the second hour. When Sharpe faced some audio issues, Orlovsky quipped:
"That's the best part of the show so far."
His jibe did not sit well with Smith, who immediately fired back, saying:
"Watch your mouth. Watch your mouth, Dan Orlovsky."
Orlovsky continued to laugh while neither Molly Qerim nor Sharpe commented on the brief altercation.
Dan Orlovsky blames NCAA for Nico Iamaleava controversy
While Orlovsky was in a good mood at the start of the show, he lost his cool during the panel's discussion about Nico Iamaleava's controversial exit from the Tennessee Volunteers over a dispute over his NIL contract with the program. In a passionate rant, he said:
"[The NCAA] should be ashamed that now [Iamaleava] is going to get targeted and pinpointed as the person being selfish, when he's a kid still.
The retired quarterback admitted that Iamaleava was also at fault but suggested that he reserves the right to demand more money:
"I understand the point of ‘Well, he’s got to honor his contract.’ When you leave the opportunity for that person not having to honor the contract by allowing other doors to be opened by other places offering you more money, no one in their right mind is just going to say, ‘No, I don’t want another $1.7 or $1.8 million.'”
Orlovsky believes the NCAA's decision-makers did not set the correct parameters, allowing programs to outbid each other for a player's services. He claimed that the association should have had the foresight to anticipate this issue and set rules to prevent it from happening. However, their indecision has led to a chaotic situation, which will only worsen in the coming years.