The controversy began with a debate involving Colin Kaepernick. Stephen A. Smith was critical of Kaepernick and the actions he took after being blackballed from the NFL. On the other hand, Max Kellerman was a vocal supporter of Kaepernick and frequently spoke out against the league’s treatment of him.
Terrell Owens joined the debate on First Take and stated that black people felt Max Kellerman, a white man, was more passionate about these issues and “blacker” than Stephen A. Smith. This comment angered Stephen A. and led to Owens being banned from the show, and Kellerman being replaced several months later.
While Stephen A. claims that the show had become stale and he didn’t enjoy working with Kellerman, some believe that he was simply envious of Kellerman’s popularity and that people valued his opinions more than Stephen A.’s.
During a recent episode of the Joe Budden podcast, Stephen A. Smith revisited the topic of Max Kellerman’s departure from First Take. Smith had previously stated that Kellerman’s contract was not renewed because he was not performing well enough. However, during the podcast, former NFL player Terrell Owens suggested that Smith’s motives for getting rid of Kellerman were different. Owens claimed that Kellerman was let go because he had become too popular, and that Smith was threatened by his co-host’s rising fame.
This led to a heated exchange between Smith and Owens. Smith took to Twitter, threatening to reveal negative information about Owens, which he has yet to do. It remains to be seen whether Owens will respond to Smith’s threat.
During a recent exchange, Owens brought up the issue of Smith disclosing sensitive information on air without his consent, which could potentially lead to a lawsuit. This serious breach of trust has strained their relationship, and it seems unlikely that their ongoing feud will be resolved anytime soon.
Flip the pages for the tweets.