Stephen A. Smith is no stranger to controversy. However, his most recent string of polarizing comments on Ray Rice’s domestic violence incident involving his wife, touched off a mini-controversy that somehow outshined the actual controversy involving Rice and the NFL itself.
Whether you want to describe Smith’s misconstrued comments as a gaffe or a misunderstanding, ESPN decided to suspend Smith for a week from the air on ESPN’s First Take.
It’s an appropriate decision. Nobody deserved to lose their job, but ESPN had to show they were at least more sensitive to their female audience than the NFL or risk facing the wrath.
“I believe his apology was sincere and that he and we have learned from what we’ve collectively experienced,” ESPN president John Skipper told the Associated Press.
