It’s been an apology-themed week for Stephen A. Smith.
At the start of the week, the ESPN star faced major criticism, for mocking the retirement of Eagles standout lineman Lane Johnson. Smith did not show grace or empathy for Johnson, who has dealt with serious mental health issues throughout his career, before stepping away from the game.
Smith actually apologized twice, first on his YouTube channel and later on “First Take” the following morning.
“My intent was joking about the Eagles. Bottom line is this: It doesn’t matter what my intent was; it’s how it’s perceived. I messed up,” Smith said to open Thursday’s episode of “First Take.”
“Here’s the reality of the situation: I was wrong.”
On Tuesday, Johnson retired, saying that he needs to prioritize his mental health.
“I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season,” Johnson said in a statement. “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.”
© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
The apology week continued over the weekend.
Smith apologized, publicly, for sharing false details about the divorce between former NBA guard Iman Shumpert and performer Teyana Taylor.
“In the interest of fairness, accuracy, and decency, I believe it’s important to address what happened in an October episode of The Culture Table titled, ‘Can Men Trust Women With Their Finances?’” Smith said. “During that episode, I stated that Teyana Taylor walked away from her divorce with $25 million, $10 million in properties, luxury cars, and other assets, while Iman Shumpert, her ex-husband, was left with approximately $2 million and nowhere to live. Those statements were inaccurate, and I want to sincerely apologize to both Iman Shumpert and Teyana Taylor.”
“Straight Shooter Media and I as the CEO have a responsibility to ensure that information presented is properly sourced,” he said. “We didn’t meet that standard here, plain and simple.”
Smith had the podcast episode deleted, but he’s leaving his apology video up for all to see.
“This statement and apology will remain available, because addressing what happened openly is what’s important here.”
