Stephen A. Smith gets 7 day suspension for outrageous comments
ESPN suspended Stephen A. Smith for a week on Tuesday for comments that suggested women should avoid provoking men into assaulting them. In a recorded apology Monday, Smith said that he had failed to properly articulate his view and that he had not intended to say that domestic violence was a woman’s fault. During a discussion last week about Ray Rice’s suspension — Stephen A. said he would tell women to make sure they’re not doing anything “to provoke wrong actions” … in addition to telling men what NOT to do.
Provocation - 1. : The act of provoking: incitement 2: something that provokes, arouses, or stimulates. Example of PROVOCATION - He can turn violent at the least provocation.
Smith will return to “First Take,” and to his afternoon ESPN Radio show in New York, next Wednesday.
In a statement to employees, John Skipper, ESPN’s president, said that Smith’s remarks “did not reflect our company’s view, or our values. They certainly don’t reflect my personal beliefs.” Skipper further explained the decision to suspend Smith until August 6th came as a result of discussions with ESPN’s women’s employee resource group.
One would have to admit that when he goes down, he sure goes down in flames. There is no middle ground with Stephen A. He doesn’t sit on the fence, and he doesn’t mince words. He is like a firefighter going to the blaze. He always responds. Having been raised in a household with a mother and four sisters, Stephen A. states,
Yahoo Sports:
... let’s make sure we don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions, because if I come — or somebody else come, whether it’s law enforcement officials, your brother or the fellas that you know — if we come after somebody has put their hands on you, it doesn’t negate the fact that they already put their hands on you."
"You and I and everybody else weren't in on all the meetings and (don't) know really what happened. Usually when something like this happens, the whole story doesn't come out. Who knows?" These are the words of former Green Bay Packers RB Paul Hornung, commenting on his suspension and the one year ban for Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints. Maybe, Roger Goodell knows more than he is letting us know.
Stephen A. Smith dipped his toe in the shallow end of the pool with his remarks on suggesting on ESPN's First Take "that Rice's then-fiancée Janay Palmer could have done something to prevent last year's alleged domestic violence incident in an Atlantic City elevator". By the time he finished, he was in way over his head.
I hope the suspension has nothing to do with the fact that Stephen A. Smith is joining SIRIUSXM Mad Dog Radio in August. I think that ESPN got it right and the week off will do everybody some good.
Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.
Follow me on Twitter at @_prmurphy
For more of my articles, click here.
