Stephen A. Smith, Bill O'Reilly Debate if Colin Kaepernick Has Gone Too Far

Thursday night, Stephen A. Smith joined Bill O'Reilly on The First, the OTT service that airs O'Reilly's No Spin News.

Smith and O'Reilly agreed more than one would imagine. Particularly on Colin Kaepernick going too far by irresponsibly denouncing the country on July 4.

O'Reilly raised a strong point: if the NFL is going to allow Black Lives Matter, it should also permit "protect the police." As O'Reilly accurately notes, political sports leagues need balance; Smith didn't argue.

However, Smith claimed the players' political statements don't interfere with broadcasts during the game. That's incorrect. Excluding pregame, social messages appear on players' helmets, "End Racism" is read in the end zones, and last night, the broadcast booth and halftime show led with non-football topics. Not exactly the escape Americans are seeking.

Later in the segment, O'Reilly came in hard with flashes of the O'Reilly Factor. Per the former cable news juggernaut, the NFL is going to lose "billions."

"Put your money where your knee is," he explained.

The highlight of the interview came late when O'Reilly declared the NBA as "MSNBC territory." That is also correct.

Intriguing exchange. Is anyone surprised to see Stephen A. Smith on The First? I was.