Tag: Stephen A. Smith

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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ESPN ponders whether Steelers have a George Pickens problem

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith weighs in on George Pickens’ Week 12 postgame comments, sparking debate about whether the Steelers have a problem.

As many fans are well aware, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens’ antics both during and after the team’s Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns left much to be desired. Pickens has found himself embroiled in drama throughout the 2024 season, and it appears his recent Week 12 behavior, along with his postgame comments blaming the weather for the loss, was enough to draw the attention of ESPN.

On a recent episode of ESPN’s First Take, host Molly Qerim posed a question that has been on the minds of Steelers fans: “Do the Steelers have a George Pickens problem?” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith responded, stating that while he didn’t believe Pickens was a problem for the organization, he felt Pickens was wrong to make excuses for his team’s Week 12 performance: “You’re a Pittsburgh Steeler. I’ve never heard a Pittsburgh Steeler in my life complain about inclement weather.”

Smith is correct in his assessment, and the Pittsburgh Steelers could do without one of their star players drawing attention to themselves for all the wrong reasons.

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Elle Duncan fires back at Giants: ‘I stand by’ my mockery of Daniel Jones

Elle Duncan doubled down on her Daniel Jones disrespect as she and Stephen A. Smith completely unloaded on the New York Giants organization.

On Thursday night, after former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones read an emotionally charged statement essentially saying goodbye to the franchise, ESPN anchor Elle Duncan decided to chime in.

Duncan changed the entire format of her segment in order to mock and belittle Jones, which she appeared to take great joy in.

“We normally reserve ‘Taking the Elle’ for Fridays but Giants quarterback Daniel Jones just did something so inexplicable that we made an exception,” Duncan said. “After being benched this week, Jones took to the podium to say goodbye to the franchise and fans but with, like, seven games left in the season.

“I’m sorry, you have to write this down? Didn’t you go to Duke?”

Duncan clearly missed the tone of the press conference, which was evident by Jones’ Friday release. Yet, she persisted.

“Do you guys think he had this saved in his notes since, like, 2020?” she continued. “In all seriousness, DJ, I could have saved you like 90 seconds. A re-write: ‘Sorry you paid me $180 million for one playoff win. And I look forward to reviving my career as Brock Purdy’s backup.’ The end.”

It was an undeniably classless and unfunny take by Dunne, which drew the ire of Giants senior vice president of communications Pat Hanlon.

After being called out, Duncan double-down on her flat-falling commentary, firing back at the Giants and Hanlon.

“You want to call me disrespectful to Daniel Jones? Am I more disrespectful than the Giants making him a scout team safety? Am I more disrespectful than all of those same fans that are in my mentions right now who booed him mercilessly for the last six seasons?” Dunne said on Friday. “I stand by everything that I said.”

Dunne played the victim after her unprovoked and immature attack, which was quickly defended by Stephen A. Smith.

“The New York Giants, respectfully, shut the hell up. Y’all are awful as an organization,” Smith said. “Y’all are sorry! Y’all are pathetic! The only reason why you get away with it is because the Jets have been worse. . . And you’ve got the nerve to sit up there and call the network because you want to whine and moan about your ineptitude being put on public display?”

Smith continued to rant incoherently while Dunne, exiled quarterback Cam Newton, and former Giants defensive back Ryan Clark laughed.

Perhaps it was lost on both Dunne and Smith that they weren’t bashing the Giants, they were taking personal public aim at Jones, who may not have been the best quarterback the Giants have seen but was a hard worker and beloved by the community he helped.

As Pat Hanlon said, Dunne, Smith, and ESPN are tone-deaf. And they clearly remain tone-deaf acting like victims after an unnecessary personal attack on a player, not the organization. It was immature and their defense remains immature. Full stop.

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Former NFL MVP not sold on Steelers’ playoff aspirations

The Steelers face scrutiny over their playoff legitimacy as critics point to weak competition ahead of a pivotal Week 10 matchup.

Well, it appears not everyone is sold on the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers’ recent success. As a matter of fact, former 2019 NFL MVP QB Cam Newton described it as “delusional” to rely on recent games and stats to portray the Steelers as playoff contenders.

Newton, appearing on ESPN’s First Take with Molly Qerim, Stephen A. Smith, and Shannon Sharpe, argued that the best evidence of the Steelers being pretenders rather than contenders lies in their most recent level of competition—the New York Giants and the New York Jets.

Stephen A. was quick to defend his favorite team, pointing out that the offense has consistently struggled for several years. While the level of competition may indeed be lacking, he emphasized that it is promising to see the offense perform well under Russell Wilson.

While it is easy to dismiss the opinion of a former player who has never won a Super Bowl, is Newton correct in his assessment?

Pittsburgh will aim to continue proving their doubters wrong as they begin the toughest second-half stretch in the NFL, starting with the Washington Commanders in Week 10 on November 10 at 1:00 PM EST.

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President Stephen A. Smith? ESPN broadcaster would consider it if he could win.

President Stephen A. Smith?

ESPN broadcaster Stephen A. Smith isn’t ruling out the idea of eventually running for president of the United States.

Oh yes. Smith was asked on The View on Thursday the question that lots of influential pop culture personalities might start getting with Donald Trump’s election to a second term in office this week.

Would he actually consider running for president? Apparently so.

“If you came to me and you told me I had a legitimate shot to win the presidency of the United States of America, I would definitely consider it,” Smith said on the broadcast when asked about the possibility.

Smith’s recent appearances on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show and NewsNation hint he may have political aspirations in his future, or at the least feels very comfortable with airing his political opinions out in the open.

However, it’s not as certain he would actually find much success in a campaign since he said in the interview he would run as an independent due to his disdain for both sides of the aisle.

Like with everything in our political sphere, we’ll see what happens.

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Stephen A. Smith reacted after ‘lying’ Kevin Durant called him a clown

Their beef is already in midseason form!

The NBA season is still early, but ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant are already in the middle of a beef.

Last month during a segment on First Take, the sports commentator said that he doesn’t have much belief in a Suns organization led by Durant. This struck a nerve with Durant, who replied to a clip of the video posted on social media after it aired.

Durant was recently asked about the criticism from Smith, and he did not hold back with his thoughts. He called the ESPN talking head a “clown” and said that he never even sees Smith attending games or practices (via The Athletic):

“Yeah, Stephen A., I don’t understand how people even listen to Stephen A.,” he told The Athletic. “I’ve been in the league for 18 years. I’ve never seen Stephen A. at a practice, or a film session, or a shoot-around. I’ve never seen him anywhere but on TV talking s— about players. … He’s a clown to me. He’s always been a clown. You can write that, too.”

Smith predictably took issue with these claims and explained why Durant was perhaps incorrect in this assessment.

Here is more from Smith:

“I got bad news for Kevin Durant. If you’re expecting me to reciprocate with that kind of pettiness and childishness, it’s not going to happen … Respectfully, Kevin Durant, could you stop lying please? I’ve been an NBA reporter and I was a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer as well. Kevin Durant has seen me in the locker room when he was in Oklahoma City. He has seen me in the locker room when he was at Golden State. He has certainly seen me at games throughout his career. But unfortunately for him, I don’t have to be at shoot-around and I don’t have to be in the postgame locker room. I happen to have a hit show that’s been number one for twelve years. I have other things to do with my time. I go to games all the time. I’m not a beat reporter any more.”

Smith is absolutely correct in that his responsibilities at ESPN have grown far beyond anything that would require him to need locker room access.

But it makes sense that Durant would find it frustrating to hear Smith criticize his leadership abilities if he isn’t actually there to see what that even looks like.

Smith then wondered who is allowed to actually speak about Durant, as the NBA superstar has gotten upset when Charles Barkley and Shannon Sharpe (as well as current players like CJ McCollum) have called him out before as well.

He added that Durant is one of the greatest players to ever play the game but noted his “sensitivity” and “petulance” and “flagrant immaturity” as well.

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