ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith heaped praise on his colleague Pat McAfee but suggested he is held to a lower standard because “he’s white and I’m black.”
Smith’s comments cropped up during an appearance on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast with former Tennessee Titan Taylor Lewan.
Lewan fed Stephen A. a question about ESPN “making a pivot” to McAfee even after Smith has been a staple at the network for over a decade.
“I love Pat McAfee. Love him to death. I love his swag, I love the fact that he’s an honest brother. He don’t give a shit. You know exactly where he stands. That’s my kind of dude. That works for me,” Smith said.
But, he asserted, McAfee doesn’t have to quite be as “polished politically” as Smith believes he is. Why?
“Because he has no desire to be, No. 1,” Smith said. “And No.2, if we’re being honest, he’s white, and I’m Black; he doesn’t have to be. I had to be. So I get all of that, and I’m not knocking him for it.”
Stephen A. Smith: Pat McAfee Has It Easier Because He’s White
It’s important to note that Stephen A. Smith is not making these critiques of ESPN or Pat McAfee with malice, as he usually does with his racial attacks.
See his take on Kliff Kingsbury, for example.
Smith describes McAfee as a “sensational talent” and a “pioneer” in the business.
That said, suggesting the former NFL Pro Bowl punter has it easier seems odd when McAfee has taken constant flak from ESPN for having New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers on his show.
Rodgers, you may recall, was briefly removed from commentary following his mundane comments about late-night weasel host Jimmy Kimmel. It seems the network doesn’t view Rodgers, who is extraordinarily white, as “polished politically” enough for their tastes.
Smith was actually suspended for a week from ESPN in the lone example we could find regarding comments in which he might not have been “polished politically.”
During a discussion about former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice beating his then-fiancee (now wife) unconscious in an elevator in 2014, Smith seemed to imply that women share some of the blame for domestic violence.
“We know you have no business putting your hands on a woman,” he said, but added, “Let’s make sure we don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions.”
For his part, Stephen A. Smith believes he’s so “polished politically” that he would “eat [former President Donald Trump] alive” in a debate.
Stephen A. Smith tells Howard Stern he wants to debate Donald Trump:
— The Recount (@therecount) January 23, 2024
“I’d eat him alive … I wouldn’t run for the presidency, but I’d debate Trump any day of the week. Any day of the week. Name the time and place, and I’d show up.” pic.twitter.com/EXC3PdbceA
To his credit, he mercilessly destroyed New York City Mayor Eric Adams for launching a $53 million program to provide pre-paid debit cards to illegal immigrants, allowing them to spend the funds in local bodegas.
We suggest taking a look.
Turns out the program actually has an open-ended price tag in the billions.
We don’t praise Smith for these comments because of his skin color, but because he’s right. We don’t mock him for thinking you get a do over on missed field goals or when he cries racism at every corner because of his skin color, but because he’s wrong.
Not everything revolves around race. Stephen might be surprised to learn that.
