Earlier today, Josh Gordon penned a personal and upfront letter directed towards Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, and Cris Carter. Gordon, who recently failed an alcohol test and might be facing a season long suspension from the NFL, used the letter to open up about his personal issues and to tell Smith and company that they don’t even know him.
Smith had said on First Take that he was “done” with Josh Gordon.
In his letter, which was published on the Cauldron, Gordon had this to say about Smith’s comments:
You’re done with me, Stephen A.? That presumes we ever actually got started. How, exactly, can you be “done” with someone you have never had a meaningful conversation with beyond a quick First Take spot? Regardless, I am relieved that you no longer need to harbor sympathy for me — mostly because I never asked for it, never wanted it, and certainly never needed it. I am not a victim here; I never claimed to be one, either.
Now, Smith has responded to Gordon’s letter. Appearing on ESPN 850 WKNR, Smith spoke for roughly 16 minutes on the topic. Here’s the general gist of what he had to say:
That’s really where his ignorance is heightened. Because what he’s not realizing is that we’re not speaking about you as an individual. We’re speaking about what you represent. You are a young African American from the hardcore street of Houston. You grew up poor, desolate to some degree because of your environment, your confines … and as a result, you “made it out.” So for you to be blowing these kinds of opportunities not just speaks to you, but it speaks to an abundance of individuals out in this world, particularly those from the African American community that could possibly find themselves in this position, but somehow, someway blow it. That’s what we’re speaking about when we say we care, when we say we’re disgusted with you, when we say we’re disappointed with you.”
Smith called Gordon’s letter “pathetic” and said he “meant every word” of what he previously said about Gordon. Smith also said he wanted Gordon to succeed and that “Josh Gordon knows how to reach me. Name the time and the place.”
Lastly, Smith promised, of course, to say more tomorrow on First Take.
[ESPN]
Photo via the Daily Beast
