Stephen A. Smith Seems To Call Jason Whitlock A 'Devil,' And 'Fat B******'
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith went after someone pretty hard during his show addressing the "Marcellus Wiley" controversy. And the internet figured out pretty quickly who he actually meant.
Smith was heavily criticized by Wiley recently for hypocrisy after getting Max Kellerman kicked off "First Take," while complaining about Shannon Sharpe's exit from FS1.
His show attempted to address the Wiley criticisms, but Smith's more forceful words were kept for someone he refused to name. Except it's pretty obviously Jason Whitlock.
"There's a lot of people out there who want me to address other names. There's one particular person who will remain nameless but I will not deny it - I think he is a fat, no-good b***ard who I despise to the core," he said.
Smith continued, "But it doesn't mean that I wish him harm. It is not Marcellus Wiley that I am talking about. It ain't hard to figure out who I am talking about.
But even then I don't wish him harm. Even though he has made a career out of wishing others the worst. And no, I'm not talking about Marcellus Wiley again. I'm not talking about my former colleagues on First Take."
"No, not talking about them. They ain't fat b***ards who are seeds of the devil, wishing nothing but black folks harm. But I will leave that for another day when the time is right," he concluded.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 20: ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith talks prior to the game between the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center on December 20, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Jason Whitlock Responds To Smith's Name Calling
Whitlock responded in his show, saying he's "not offended" or "upset" about Smith calling him names.
He did respond that he's "disappointed" and wishes Smith didn't have that level of "animus" towards him, while saying that he "is not being honest here."
Whitlock addressed the beef between Smith and Wiley by saying Smith is talking out of both sides of his mouth.
"He says he wants to do no harm," Whitlock explained. "Says how much he loves Marcellus that he's not going to disrespect him."
"First thing he says, in a passive aggressive shot is, 'I'm assuming he's doing more than that podcast.'" Whitlock continued, saying it's a thinly veiled criticism implying Wiley has declined in importance and relevance.
He also explained what he believes Smith's motivations are in attacking him.
"What he's done, is that he's in hot water with black twitter, black audience, whatever, he's in hot water with them. His dispute with Max Kellerman and Marcellus Wiley isn't going well. And so what he's saying to the audience, and the whole purpose of why he did this whole segment on Marcellus was so he could direct the animus" towards Whitlock instead.
"'Let me hide behind Whitlock, I don't like him anyway. Here's the real Uncle Tom.'"
Finally, Whitlock said that Smith's actions are "cowardly."
And he may have a point. Smith is facing an unusual amount of criticism from areas where he normally has support. Whitlock provides a convenient distraction, which now allows the focus to be on the Smith-Whitlock beef instead of Smith-Wiley.
Guess that's why Smith is on First Take and Wiley's just doing podcasts; he's a master of redirection.