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(Skip to 1:22:00 to listen to the relevant segment)
Stephen A. Smith didn’t react in the most constructive manner when he was asked to give his take on the National Organization for Women’s call for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to resign.
After Skip Bayless took the position that Roger Goodell should resign, Smith went off.
“I’m sorry, I think this woman is off her rocker. I think she’s lost her mind. That’s right, I said it.
This is the most ridiculous nonsense I’ve ever heard in my life. Roger Goodell deserves to lose his job? Why are you acting like he’s Ray Rice? Roger Goodell didn’t hit Janay Palmer Rice. He hasn’t hit any women. And by the way, the last time I checked, Skip, why are we talking about the NFL as if it’s some cesspool for domestic violence? There’s a few cases. It’s being dealt with.”
While there may be a nugget or two of truth in what Smith had to say (it would be unfair to suggest that the NFL is a systemic breeding ground for domestic violence. Unfortunately for Smith, no one is arguing that it is), he then proceeded to get louder and louder in his indignation as Skip Bayless softly pointed to cases where the NFL may have not done enough to address the issue of domestic abuse.
Host Cari Champion tried to cut off Smith to go to a commercial but Smith steamrolled through and got increasingly more agitated as he defended Roger Goodell’s job:
“He deserves to lose his career because of this? Because the National Organization for Women are going to come out and try to treat Roger Goodell like he has committed domestic violence? He made a mistake. He needs to be called to the carpet for it. But to lose his job? His career? To suffer the same punishment as Ray Rice? Please. Ridiculous.”
Without even going into Smith’s past statements on the Ray Rice incident which landed him in hot water, it should go without saying that Roger Goodell is not Ray Rice and he is not being put on trial for doing what Ray Rice did. Goodell made “a mistake” as Smith concedes, and sometimes people lose their jobs over mistakes. Punching a woman is not the bar that organizations set for employment. Competence is and there are legitimate questions as to whether Goodell has handled this entire Ray Rice situation competently.
For the video of Smith’s take, head on over to Deadspin.
