Tag: Stephen A. Smith

Panthers great Cam Newton says he wouldn’t trade his MVP award for Super Bowl title

Panthers legend Cam Newton on if he’d trade his MVP award for a Super Bowl ring: “Nope.”

Well, Cam Newton has never claimed to be like most folks.

On Thursday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, host Stephen A. Smith posed a simple question to the Carolina Panthers legend—asking Newton if he’d be willing to trade his Most Valuable Player award for a Super Bowl title.

And Newton, as he often does, brought a different kind of perspective to the table.

“Nope,” he replied. “What’s more important—impact or championships? You look at a guy like Allen Iverson. Everybody’s not gonna be a Michael Jordan. Everybody’s not gonna be Patrick Mahomes. Everybody’s not gonna be these individuals who have the luxury of saying, ‘Hey, I not only dominated this sport, but I also have championships to back it.

“Let me remind you—Brad Johnson won a Super Bowl. Trent Dilfer won a Super Bowl. Respectfully, Nick Foles won a Super Bowl. So, yes, when you look at those guys and you say, ‘What’s more important? Would you have preferred to win a Super Bowl?’ I think that’s a humble approach.

“But if we’re being honest, the impact of you holding yourself accountable to say, ‘Everybody has a responsibility to do.’ And you can say, as an MVP award winner, or All-American, you’ve held yourself or you’ve held the bargain down.”

Newton held up that particular bargain in 2015 by recording 4,473 total yards and 45 total touchdowns en route to a near-unanimous MVP win. His all-time campaign helped lead the Panthers to a franchise-best 15-1 record in the regular season.

But the bargain stopped short in Super Bowl 50, where Newton and the Panthers were stopped by the Denver Broncos in a deflating 24-10 loss. Newton, in his one and only Super Bowl appearance, completed 18 of his 41 throws for 265 yards and an interception while coughing up a pair of fumbles.

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Travis Kelce gushes about Taylor Swift’s support with retirement questions swirling

The pop star and tight end are mutually supportive of each other’s careers.

Travis Kelce — the newly self-proclaimed “No. 1 Swiftie” — joined Stephen A. Smith on the Stephen A. Smith Show on Wednesday night, discussing everything from Kansas City’s upcoming playoffs to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

Overall, the Chiefs tight end just seems happy with his relationship and the support they offer each other.

“I’m enjoying all aspects of life. Me and Taylor are happy, and I couldn’t be happier to have that confidence and that comfort off the field and all the support I could ever ask for in the stadium,” Kelce said of his non-football life.

Things naturally focused on Kelce’s relationship with the 14-time Grammy winner (including how much Smith spent on concert tickets). Kelce was happy to gush over what helps him and Swift work so well.

“That’s the beauty of being in a very strong relationship is that you get that support. To be able to come in and focus on your craft, focus on being the best version of you.” Kelce stated. “That’s why I wanted to be at the concerts supporting her and being there for her, making sure she feels comfortable and supported in everything she’s doing in life.”

On the flip side, Swift is supportive of Kelce continuing his football career if that’s what he decides.

“She’s fully encouraging me to enjoy playing this game,” Kelce said. “She loves coming to Arrowhead and coming to the games and cheering for me, so I have all the support in the world to keep chasing these dreams.”

Check out the full interview, starting at the 21-minute mark.

Stephen A. Smith told Travis Kelce he spent an absurd amount of money going to the Eras Tour

And he didn’t just go once.

Kansas City Chief Travis Kelce joined Stephen A. Smith on Wednesday night on the Stephen A. Smith Show, and the conversation naturally turned to the tight end’s high-profile personal life. Partway through the interview, Smith directed the discussion to Kelce’s pop star girlfriend Taylor Swift and her record-setting Eras Tour.

“I went to her concert,” Smith stated. “Yo, Travis, it’s the greatest concert I’ve ever been to in my life.”

TRAVIS GUSHES ABOUT TAYLOR’S SUPPORT: More from the Stephen A. Smith interview

Smith went on to explain that even though he wasn’t previously a fan of the The Tortured Poets Department singer, he was dragged along to the concert. “My daughters hoodwinked me because they got me to take 10 of their friends. Now that was two thousand a pop, I spent $20,000 on that [expletive] concert,” Smith said before Kelce interjected.

“In resale, by the way. That’s resale.”

Despite dropping $20,000 on the show, once wasn’t enough for Stephen A. “I said, ‘this better be worth it,’ and I’ve got to confess. It was so [expletive] good I went twice.”

Check out the interview here, with Smith talking about buying tickets at the 32-minute mark.

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Travis Kelce called himself the ‘No. 1 Swiftie’ in Stephen A. Smith interview

Now that’s how you support your significant other.

It wasn’t unexpected, but now it’s official: Travis Kelce is a Swiftie. The Kansas City tight end has been dating pop star Taylor Swift since the summer of 2023, and the duo has supported each other’s careers throughout. Kelce did an interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith on The Stephen A. Smith Show on Wednesday evening, thoroughly covering Swift among the many topics of discussion.

At the end of the conversation, Smith asked the three-time Super Bowl winner if he considered himself a Swiftie, the nickname for fans of the 14-time Grammy winner. Without missing a beat, Kelce said “I’m the No. 1 Swiftie.”

Always so supportive of his other half.

Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith fire back at Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler’s criticism

This escalated!

Oh boy. We’ve got some ESPN infighting going on, and it’s playing out on the air.

While broadcasting Ohio State’s big College Football Playoff win over Tennessee, Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler talked about “the lunatic fringe” at the school and talk about firing Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day.

“First Take tried to fire him, they thought he was done,” Herbstreit remarked. “So I’ll be excited to see what they talk about on Monday after this performance.”

That was not taken well by both Stephen A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe, who fired back on Monday’s First Take.

“Kirk, Chris Fowler, I promise you: if you ever mention any platform that I’m on again, and talking about ‘I wonder what they’re going to say as negativity,’ I promise you. ESPN ain’t got enough bosses to keep me off y’all for what I’m going to say,” Sharpe said.

Smith took a couple of minutes to address them. Watch:

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Stephen A. Smith explains why Conor McGregor would lose to Logan Paul in boxing

Stephen A. Smith has all but counted out Conor McGregor in a potential boxing match with Logan Paul.

[autotag]Stephen A. Smith[/autotag] heavily dismisses [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] in a potential boxing match againt [autotag]Logan Paul[/autotag].

McGregor on Tuesday made a surprise announcement that he is in preliminary talks to box Paul in an exhibition match in India before making his UFC return – a fight which will be organized by the extremely wealthy Ambani Family.

Smith isn’t against the idea of McGregor boxing before returning to the octagon. With McGregor having not competed since July 2021, Smith believes “The Notorious” would get seriously hurt if he competed in MMA first thing back. If McGregor does end up lacing up the gloves against Paul, the ESPN analyst doesn’t like his chances.

“I think Logan Paul is going to beat him,” Smith said on ESPN’s “First Take.” “I don’t think that Conor McGregor is a boxer; he’s a striker. So, he’s sitting up there, and he ain’t even throwing his jab. He’s pitter-pattering. You ain’t clipping Logan Paul like that. You’ve got to do more than that.

“We don’t know yet (which size gloves they’re using), but it doesn’t matter. Unless it’s pillows like 16 or 18 ounces, it ain’t going to work. I just think that Logan Paul is bigger, he’s a much bigger man, he’s a more experienced boxer.”

With McGregor walking around at a much larger weight than his UFC championship days, Smith doesn’t see his precision and speed in the octagon translating to the ring. He pointed to McGregor’s 10th-round TKO loss to Floyd Mayweather in their August 2017 boxing match, in which McGregor significantly slowed down as the rounds went down.

“Those big muscles are going to make you a bit slower, and you’ve got to remember that Conor had quickness, he could catch you quick and clip you,” Smith said. “That’s not going to be the case in the boxing ring.”

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De’Vondre Campbell gets destroyed on ESPN for quitting on 49ers

ESPN analysts Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Clark questioned if De’Vondre Campbell should ever play football again after he quit on the 49ers.

Though healthy and suited up, San Francisco 49ers linebacker De’Vondre Campbell refused to enter Thursday night’s 12-6 loss against the Los Angeles Rams.

San Francisco tight end George Kittle and 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward shared their opinions on Campbell’s actions after the loss. Kittle ripped Campbell’s decision and Ward said he expects Campbell to be cut.

Campbell’s refusal to play also quickly morphed into one of the top stories nationally in sports.

On Friday morning, ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith sounded off on the incident and blasted Campbell on his show “First Take.” Smith called Campbell’s NFL playing future into question.

“If it were me, he would have been cut before he left the locker room. He wouldn’t have made it out of the locker room as a San Francisco 49er. I’ll be honest with you. His career is in grave jeopardy and it should be. You don’t want a teammate like that. De’Vondre Campbell should be ashamed of himself. There is no excuse for what he did,” Smith said.

Fellow ESPN analyst Ryan Clark agreed with Smith’s assessment and said as much earlier on in the morning on “Get Up.”

“In my opinion as a brotherhood, he should never play again. Ever again,” Clark said. “Why would you want him on your team?”

Campbell’s refusal to play came with San Francisco in a bind at the position. 49ers linebackers Dre Greenlaw and Dee Winters were sidelined with respective knee and neck injuries.

It also came during a game that essentially killed the 49ers’ postseason hopes. With the loss, San Francisco (6-8) has now lost four of its past five games and fell into the NFC West cellar with just three games remaining in the 2024 regular season.

Campbell started 12 of the 49ers’ first 13 games. The 6-foot-4, 232 pound linebacker played 90% of San Francisco’s defensive snaps with 79 tackles, including three for loss, and a pair of passes defended.

‘Alabama makes me sick,’ Stephen A. Smith blasts Crimson Tide football

Stephen A. Smith has some harsh words for Alabama, particularly Greg Byrne and Kalen DeBoer.

You might say that Alabama football is on Stephen A. Smith’s naughty list this Christmas season.

The fiery ESPN commentator unloaded on the Crimson Tide on Wednesday’s edition of “First Take.”

What seemed to draw Smith’s ire was Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne’s comments this week that the university would “need to assess” scheduling future Power Four nonconference games after the Crimson Tide (9-3 overall) missed the College Football Playoff.

Smith wasn’t buying it and reminded viewers (and Byrne) that Alabama’s three losses had all come in SEC play: to the Oklahoma Sooners, Vanderbilt Commodores and Tennessee Volunteers.

Said Smith:

“Alabama makes me sick. This AD, let tell you what the AD was doing. He was still trying to act like Nick Saban was still the coach. ‘Well, maybe we’ll blame it on our conference schedule,’ like he got screwed over or something; like something was owed to them. Nick Saban is gone and the program has taken a step back. DeBoer is not Saban. Why do I say that? You lost to Vanderbilt.”

The loss to Vanderbilt on Oct. 5 was a first for Alabama football in 40 years. The Crimson Tide fell 24-17 at Tennessee two weeks later, and their lifeless 24-3 loss to Oklahoma on Nov. 23 came at a time when the Crimson Tide was still in control of their playoff destiny.

 

Smith continued:

“You scored three points against Oklahoma. We forgot Oklahoma had a defense over the last decade and a half until they reminded us when they went up against Alabama and held them to three points.

“The nerve of Alabama. They have been a huge disappointment. I was very happy they were left out because the standard that Nick Saban had established over the last nearly two decades took a dive, and the fact is they needed to be held accountable for it. I don’t have a problem with them missing the playoffs at all.”

Alabama will face Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl (Outback Bowl) on New Year’s Eve at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT The game will be televised on ESPN.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions. 

Timothée Chalamet was offered Stephen A. Smith mentorship for an ESPN career

Get this man on TV talking about sports more often! 

Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet stole headlines and hearts when he appeared on ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday.

While promoting his upcoming Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown before it opens on Christmas Day, he some impressive correct predictions on this panel.

He also brought some great research and general knowledge to the table during this appearance, which made the experience even more fun for the viewers at home.

It was legitimately refreshing to hear someone approach this assignment as seriously as he did, especially considering many who appear on TV for their full-time job do not take that same approach.

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET: The actor impressed fans with his GameDay picks

This was not just Chalemet goofing around, though.

It appears that the New York-born 28-year-old is a longtime sports fan. In fact, way back in 2010, he even won a contest by two former NBA players and won free tickets to see the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Chalamet joked during a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight that he would love to pivot to a gig at ESPN or “any sportscasting” job.

He added that acting is not always very reliable and that he would love a job for six to eight months hosting a show like Stephen A. Smith or Pat McAfee.

Smith saw the tweet and said down to show him “the ropes” whenever.

Imagine the raw talent we saw from Chalemet trained under Smith’s tutelage. He would become an unstoppable force! Get this man on TV talking about sports more often!

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Stephen A. Smith delivered a Simpsons-ized rant on the Simpsons Funday Football broadcast

Simpsons-ized Steven A. Smith!

Monday night’s Simpsons Funday Football broadcast of the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys game featured some fascinating quirks.

One of them was a Simpsons-ized take on ESPN sports personality Stephen A. Smith.

Indeed, Smith’s Simpsons avatar appeared during the pregame coverage to deliver a very Simpsons-friendly rant about the game ahead.

If you ever wanted to see what Smith would look like in the world of The Simpsons, this is the moment. It’s a pretty fun little wrinkle to all the festivities, even if the game itself is truly baffling to watch in this altered broadcast format.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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