FOX insider Jay Glazer is taking aim at ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith this Wednesday – and understandably so.
During this Wednesday’s episode of “First Take,” Smith questioned Philadelphia Eagles star Lane Johnson’s decision to retire before a Week 5 showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The future Hall of Famer said he was leaving the NFL behind to focus on his family and his mental health.
“I have given it my all for 14 years; season after season pushing my body to the max and tirelessly working my craft to not only live up to the legacy of the guys that came before me, but to set a new standard of success for the best franchise in all of sports,” Johnson wrote in his retirement letter. “I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season. But after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized that my personal and family priorities in my life have changed. Right now, it is critical that I focus on my mental health. I owe it to my teammates, coaches, the organization and the fans to have my head and heart 100 percent in the game. And right now my heart is telling me that it’s time to say goodbye to football.”
For some inexplicable reason, Smith decided to question Johnson’s motives.
“He went like this, ‘You know what? I’m gonna call it quits.’ Now, he calls it quits. Not before the season. Not in the offseason. Oh, no, no, no, no! After being subjected to this, he said, ‘Life is a little bit too short. I need to focus’ — what did he say? His mental health? Am I making it up?” Smith said. “Four games into the 2026 season, a dude that has been in the league forever, sits back and says, ‘I need to focus on my mental health.’ As an offensive tackle, Lord, you know it’s bad. There’s no way [if] you’re undefeated, you’re winning football games, you’re thriving, everybody’s got Super Bowl in their sights, [that] you walk away. You walk away because it’s a very, very, very bad situation, and it doesn’t look to be getting any better.”
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Did Stephen A. Smith miss the mark?
Several media members and fans have ripped Smith for his insensitive rant this Wednesday.
Glazer, meanwhile, decided to use this controversy as an opportunity to highlight Johnson’s advocacy for mental health awareness in sports.
“Was SOOOO proud of @LaneJohnson65 for having the courage to speak up all the way back in 2021 — well before so many others were comfortable doing so,” Glazer said. “He has continued to speak up to Be Of Service to make sure others know they aren’t alone in this fight. This fight isn’t fun nor pretty but with cats like Lane, it definitely helps.”
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic had a much stronger response to Smith’s careless rant this Wednesday.
“If it is debating LeBron versus MJ or the Dallas Cowboys defense or who should be ranked No. 1, it really is no harm, no foul. But when you are talking about a serious topic, like mental health issues, don’t mock someone. From what I know of Smith, he is not a bad guy and he is smart enough to know when he is wrong. He should apologize,” Marchand wrote. “But after all the clamor is done, he should make sure next time he gives himself a little more time to think before he takes on serious matters. Life is not a show.”
We’ll see if Smith apologizes to Johnson during Thursday’s episode of “First Take.”
