Stephen A. Smith is fanning the flames again in his ongoing beef with former ESPN colleagues.
However, it’s not the one you’re probably thinking of.
Recently, former NFL player/ESPN analyst Marcellus Wiley has been at Smith’s neck on his show, Never Shut Up, over Smith having Max Kellerman removed from First Take. For the sake of anonymity, we’ll call the personality in question “fat bastard.” Those are Smith’s words, among others, aimed at this particular individual.
“I think he’s a fat, no-good bastard who I despise to the core. And that is not Marcellus Wiley I’m talking about,” Smith said.
Those are harsh words filled with vitriol and bad intentions. Watching Stephen A. go at it with this person who will remain nameless is funny because the two of them are essentially cut from the same cloth. Both love the spotlight and are not necessarily fan favorites within their own communities. Or former communities, depending on who you ask.
Honestly, this feels like Smith attempting to win back the Black vote. In case you hadn’t noticed, many Black fans don’t care much for Smith. Many of them care even less about Silly Man With Funny Hat. The bastard who shall not be named has called out Smith for some time, even referring to him as a sellout.
Realistically, both are horrible in their own unique way. Still, this former ESPN employee would likely give anything, including limbs, to be in the seat Smith currently occupies at the “worldwide leader.” Given the opportunity to make that same $12-13 million a year as Smith, the former Kansas City columnist would jump as quickly as possible at that paycheck.
While the man SAS calls “fat bastard” couldn’t care less what anyone thinks, especially those of color. Smith would actually love to get back in the good graces of Black folks. Over the years, he’s lost a good portion of the community because many feel he’s nothing more than a puppet for his employer. Even if Smith claims he doesn’t care, all we need to look at is his reaction to Terrell Owens’ comments on First Take a few years back.
As mentioned in the clip above, those comments from Ownes questioning Smith’s “Blackness” eventually led to more behind-the-scenes drama, including alleged litigation. But those comments cut deep, and SAS was highly offended. Additionally, Smith never cared much about working with Kellerman, so that shot from Owens was a double whammy. And to be fair, most Black men would have felt some kind of way hearing that from another Black man.
Considering all this, it’s clear what Smith’s agenda is with this war on W…..fat bastard. If there’s another black personality in sports media more despised by the masses than SAS, it has to be his latest opponent. He made sure to specify he wasn’t talking about Wiley, as the former NFL defensive end came to the aid of his buddy Kellerman in that whole situation.
It’s all quite comical watching these men go back and forth via social media and their own online platforms. This is a good ol’ heel vs. heel matchup in which no one wants to pick a side. Quite frankly, most people think they both suck and should go ahead and destroy each other. Apparently, Stephen A. figured he’d sneak one past the goalie charging at this bastard full force. But nope. Nobody is buying it, and this battle won’t help Smith endear himself to anyone who knows what he’s really about.