Former ESPN analyst and First Take co-host Max Kellerman has been making the podcast rounds lately. The former boxer who made his chops talking sports and debating Stephen A. Smith daily on the hit show has been fairly quiet and out of the loop since he was removed from the show in 2021 and let go by the network fully in 2023.
During a recent appearance on the Bill Simmons podcast, Kellerman didn’t hold back when asked about his tenure sitting across from the always loud and loquacious Smith….
“If you’re doing a debate show and you’re a competitive person, why would you want me as a partner? That’s bad,” he told Simmons. “You want to go 15 rounds every day with ‘Muhammad Kellerman’? That’s just bad. It’s embarrassing.”
He continued: “It’s a debate show. ‘I have an idea. This is what I want to put on TV: I want to spar Bud Crawford every day for 15 rounds, and I want everyone to see it.’ Eventually, you’re gonna say, ‘I don’t want to do it anymore.’”
NFL Legend Terrell Owens Agrees With Max Kellerman
It’s no secret that Smith who’s ESPN’s top dawg doesn’t have a lot of friends as it pertains to former athletes, one being Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens. The former Niners, Eagles and Cowboys legend chimed in on the Kellerman comments with his own view of who he thinks was the better debater between the two.
Sharing a clip on his X account, Owens let everyone know how he feels about both parties with this comment ….
“He knows he can’t hold a candle to Max.”
Stephen A. Responds To Former Co-Host
Smith fired back during a recent episode of his “Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith” YouTube Show.
“There was an audience that was accustomed to Skip Bayless being diametrically different for a decade,” Smith said. “When Max came on the show, the top ratings were handed to us because of what Skip and I were doing. So the audience has an expectation for that show. Anybody that’s in front of the camera has an obligation to be compelled to be pulled towards what the audience wants. That’s how you get ratings.”
“If I thought for one second that Max Kellerman would have been fired or unemployed or whatever, I never would have made the suggestion that we needed to part ways,” Smith said. He added that Kellerman is “next level genius,” noting, “That still has nothing to do with debating.”
“Debating is about point-counterpoint, and the audience is watching,” Smith said. “Do I need to bring up the names of the inordinate amount of people that will come on the air and say, ‘Max, what are you saying?’… We’re talking about a debate show.”
“I wish him nothing but the best,” Smith said. “We ain’t boys or anything like that… but there’s no hatred or animosity from this side.”
Michelle Beadle Lauds Kellerman For Speaking Up
Smith’s Former ESPN colleague Michelle Beadle who has had her share of beef and animosity towards Smith praised Kellerman for spending his peace….
“I’d like to shout out Max Kellerman,” she said to close Wednesday’s episode of Beadle and Decker. “We’ve been waiting for you to start talking, friend. We’ve been waiting on this day for a while.”
