Tag: Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith says he’s hearing troubling reports about Kyrie Irving’s attitude

Stephen A. Smith says negative reports about Kyrie Irving’s attitude are circulating.

Kyrie Irving’s temperament has been an ongoing storyline early in the NBA season, and according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Irving’s attitude could be an issue in Brooklyn, where the Nets have gotten off to a 6-8 start.

On October 28th, Jackie MacMullan published an extensive piece on the Nets that included a controversial tidbit from Nets team sources. According to that source, Irving is prone to mood swings, and can “shut down” on the team.

Via ESPN:

“When Irving lapses into these funks, he often shuts down, unwilling to communicate with the coaching staff, front office and, sometimes, even his teammates. Nets team sources say one such episode occurred during Brooklyn’s trip to China, leaving everyone scratching their heads as to what precipitated it.”

Irving responded to the report by noting that he’s a human being, and that everyone goes through mood changes. Kevin Durant defended his teammate during an appearance on First Take, and said that the Nets have had no problems at all with Irving as a teammate.

On Thursday, though, Smith said on First Take that he’s continuing to hear negative things about Kyrie Irving’s attitude from sources.

“I am not hearing good things about Kyrie in Brooklyn. I’m talking about you’re hearing [things]… you’re just hearing about the mood. People are putting stuff out there. I don’t think it’s fair, I don’t know accurate it is. But I am telling, if Kyrie’s listening, I’m telling you there is stuff circulating out there about him from an attitude perspective.”

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Stephen A. Smith on backlash over his Kaepernick comments: ‘I’m a black man, you idiots’

Smith was not happy with the criticism.

Colin Kaepernick’s canceled-then-moved workout in Atlanta on Saturday predictably dominated the NFL conversation into the week.

What wasn’t as predictable, though, was who went to bat for the NFL and who defended Kaepernick against the organization that denied him an opportunity to work for three years.

Starting on Sunday, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith took a decidedly pro-NFL stance on the matter. He criticized Kaepernick for how he handled the workout invitation, sparred with Eric Reid on social media and doubted whether Kaepernick even wanted to play football again.

It ultimately took First Take co-host Max Kellerman to shut down Smith’s anti-Kaepernick rhetoric, but Smith’s handling of the situation has in turn sent plenty of backlash his way. During Tuesday’s edition of First Take, Smith issued a response to those who had a problem with his Kaepernick commentary the past couple days.

Smith said:

“When I sit up there, and I sat here yesterday, and I spoke about how his points are eradicated, I’m not talking about the kneeling. I’m not talking about the protesting. I’m a black man, you idiots! You think I have a problem with a man that is kneeling and protesting racial oppression and police brutality? Do you know anything about my history in 25 years in this damn business? From The New York Daily News to the Philadelphia Inquirer to CNN to Fox to ESPN. Do you have any idea about my damn background and the fights that I have taken on the behalf of African Americans throughout this nation’s history? Do you have any idea who the hell you are talking about?”

Smith continued to say that Kaepernick’s actions got in the way of his hopes of returning to the NFL.

You can watch the full segment here.

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Stephen A. Smith and Eric Reid had a heated exchange over Colin Kaepernick’s workout

“Tap dancing for the NFL.”

While Stephen A. Smith’s primary role at ESPN is that of a hot-take artist on First Take, he offered some reporting earlier in the week about Colin Kaepernick’s NFL workout in Atlanta.

Smith reported Wednesday that his “sources” told him that two teams were interested in Kaepernick’s services and that 10 owners didn’t want Kaepernick in the league. Those two teams were free to bring Kaepernick in for individual workouts but declined to do so.

But when disagreements over the terms for Saturday’s hastily planned workout led to Kaepernick holding his own open-to-media event in Atlanta, Smith posted a three-minute video criticizing Kaepernick for how he handled the day. Smith claimed that Kaepernick had no interest in playing in the NFL, which wasn’t met kindly by Panthers safety Eric Reid.

Reid responded to Smith that Kaepernick was right to want to control the narrative against an organization that had shut him out for the past three years. The NFL wanted the event to be closed to the media and handle the video distribution itself, which could have (and probably would have) led to a flurry of anonymous scouts reporting how poorly Kaepernick performed.

Reid continued to criticize Smith for parroting NFL talking points, and that prompted Smith to issue his own response on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

The more you talk, the more ridiculous you sound, @e_reid35. Actually, it’s worse than I thought since you’re the one tweeting at me hours before a damn game. And speaking of the game, weren’t you in Atlanta in attendance for Kaepernick’s workout yesterday — before having to leave EARLY to play for a team in a league you’re feeling so oppressed by? Wasn’t that you? Just asking! Hold on! I have more! That same Malcolm X — who we all revere for life — you just brought up acknowledged there were slight errors in his thinking. You didn’t bring that up? You Eric Reid went through the same process Kap was suppose to be go through and you’re still playing on Sunday. But you didn’t bring that up! And unlike you, walking around and doing nothing but bitching at every turn, myself and many others in the media have religiously called out the NFL for blackballing Kap. We’ve religiously highlighted the unfairness of it all. And some of us have worked behind the scenes, trying to help Jay-Z and others in their quest to get Kap back in the league. Meanwhile, what is Eric Reid doing? Complaining like he wants to be on @firsttake. Failing to stop the run on Sundays. Talking S$&@ about the NFL at every turn…….but asking for that check, no doubt! Yet, I’m the one tap dancing. Why? Because I’m gainfully employed while trying to remind youngsters out her of the pitfalls that lie-in-wait. Meanwhile, someone like you continues to throw professionalism, decorum and decency into the wind — sending folks down a dead-end path — all because your boy isn’t getting precisely his way…..when NO ONE gets their way. So who’s the SELLOUT! Guess what, it’s neither of us. We just have a difference of opinion. I still respect the hell out of your immature, belligerent self. But I’m going to call it like I see it. Kaepernick made a mistake the way he handled all this…….IF he really wants a job in the NFL. Period. And your contribution to all of this doesn’t help. It hurts. It ain’t about you being wrong. It’s about you needing to grow the hell up. Your decision. Your life! Do you!

A post shared by Stephen A. Smith (@stephenasmith) on

Smith wrote:

The more you talk, the more ridiculous you sound, @e_reid35. Actually, it’s worse than I thought since you’re the one tweeting at me hours before a damn game. And speaking of the game, weren’t you in Atlanta in attendance for Kaepernick’s workout yesterday — before having to leave EARLY to play for a team in a league you’re feeling so oppressed by? Wasn’t that you? Just asking! Hold on! I have more!

That same Malcolm X — who we all revere for life — you just brought up acknowledged there were slight errors in his thinking. You didn’t bring that up? You Eric Reid went through the same process Kap was suppose to be go through and you’re still playing on Sunday. But you didn’t bring that up! And unlike you, walking around and doing nothing but bitching at every turn, myself and many others in the media have religiously called out the NFL for blackballing Kap. We’ve religiously highlighted the unfairness of it all. And some of us have worked behind the scenes, trying to help Jay-Z and others in their quest to get Kap back in the league. Meanwhile, what is Eric Reid doing? Complaining like he wants to be on @firsttake. Failing to stop the run on Sundays. Talking S$&@ about the NFL at every turn…….but asking for that check, no doubt!

Yet, I’m the one tap dancing. Why? Because I’m gainfully employed while trying to remind youngsters out her of the pitfalls that lie-in-wait. Meanwhile, someone like you continues to throw professionalism, decorum and decency into the wind — sending folks down a dead-end path — all because your boy isn’t getting precisely his way…..when NO ONE gets their way. So who’s the SELLOUT!

Guess what, it’s neither of us. We just have a difference of opinion. I still respect the hell out of your immature, belligerent self. But I’m going to call it like I see it. Kaepernick made a mistake the way he handled all this…….IF he really wants a job in the NFL. Period. And your contribution to all of this doesn’t help. It hurts. It ain’t about you being wrong. It’s about you needing to grow the hell up. Your decision. Your life! Do you!

Kaepernick elected to hold his own workout in Atlanta with media present and proved what we already knew: He’s an NFL-caliber quarterback.

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Eric Reid rips Stephen A. Smith for saying Colin Kaepernick doesn’t want to play

Kaepernick showed he still has elite arm talent, finishing off his throwing reps with a 55-yard bomb.

Eric Reid showed up for Colin Kaepernick’s workout in Atlanta last night, which was moved to a different location at the last minute due to yet another conflict with the NFL. Kaepernick’s team wanted transparency. Because the league wouldn’t allow the media in to film his scheduled workout at the Falcons’ practice facility, he held his own at a local high school.

Kaepernick showed he still has elite arm talent, finishing off his throwing reps with a 55-yard bomb.

After the workout was over, there was no shortage of hot takes from the media. One of the worst came from ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who took to Twitter and claimed that Kaepernick doesn’t actually want to play because he moved the workout.

This morning, Reid responded to Smith’s take with a few tweets of his own. Here’s what he had to say.

It’s one thing to say Kaepernick isn’t good enough to play in the NFL anymore, but to say he doesn’t want it is simply not true.

Eight teams wound up attending Kaepernick’s event, down from the 25 that were originally supposed to show to the original league-sanctioned workout.

The Panthers were not one of the teams who planned to attend. Owner David Tepper told Reid earlier this week that the team isn’t looking to add a veteran quarterback at this time. However, if that changes he said the team will consider Kaepernick. Reid said he told Tepper he’ll hold him to that.

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Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless are …

Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless are poised to pull off a possible reunion at ESPN’s “First Take,” sources told Front Office Sports. Bayless’ current contract with Fox Sports expires in 2020, said sources. Smith refers to Bayless as his “brother from another mother.” The former “First Take” sparring partners could reunite on the “Embrace Debate” morning show that turned them both into national stars. “They both want to make it happen. I’m just not sure ESPN will hit Fox’s number,” said one source.