Stephen A. Smith is furious with a particular colleague. There are always exceptions, and this looks to be a significant one, even if he generally steers clear of controversy within the organization.
He said,
“Look, I’m not pissed to the point where I’m annoyed, and I’m gonna call people out their names and all that,”. “Especially people that I love, like the person I’m gonna talk about in a few minutes, but certain things need to be corrected, for the record. Because certain things people are ill-informed about.”
“And the publications that grab the headlines and try to manipulate things and make things seem that they’re something that they’re not. I understand that some people are desperate for clickbait. That’s how they do it. They don’t care about accuracy. They just care about talking sh*t and not knowing what the hell they’re talking about.”
“And the publications that grab the headlines and try to manipulate things and make things seem that they’re something that they’re not. I understand that some people are desperate for clickbait. That’s how they do it. They don’t care about accuracy. They just care about talking sh*t and not knowing what the hell they’re talking about.”
Smith initially addressed the issue at hand—his altercation with Monica McNutt on Monday morning—after criticizing the media and embarking on a drawn-out 20-minute tirade about Caitlin Clark and the WNBA.
Smith stated after expressing the opinion that Clark’s performance could benefit the WNBA as a whole in terms of marketing,
“And took a conversation and did something she has never done before that absolutely shocked me that she did today, that I totally and emphatically disagree with. Although I do love her to death. And I do appreciate the great work she does for me on First Take on ESPN and the great work she does for ESPN overall. I love Monica McNutt.
“But this is the first real disagreement we had, and since she brought it up on national television, I’m gonna bring it up now.”
What is the controversy between Stephen A. Smith and Monica McNutt
Smith wished to make it clear that the only thing about which he disagreed was McNutt’s most recent statement. He thinks highly of McNut, seeing her as a friend and someone he can rely on. Nevertheless, he felt obliged to address that specific topic in support of First Take.
Stephen A. Smith: “Who talks about the WNBA, who talks about women, who talks about women’s sports more than First Take?”
Monica McNutt: “Stephen A., respectfully, with your platform, you could have been doing this three years ago if you wanted to.”
Stephen A.: “Wow.” pic.twitter.com/szQXOPQ3h4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 3, 2024
Even while Smith was full of compliments for McNutt and made it clear that he respected her as a friend and analyst, he nevertheless felt obliged to address her recent “unfortunate” remarks on national television. He wishes to set the record straight: McNutt’s statement misrepresented his and the show’s dedication to the WNBA.
