Jason Whitlock went nuclear on Stephen A. Smith, straight up blasting ESPN’s biggest star for his football takes. This isn’t just another chapter in their long-running feud. Whitlock says Smith, the main host of “First Take” with a five year, $105 million deal from ESPN, literally “doesn’t actually know the sport” every time he opens his mouth about football.
The Rivalry Ignites Again Over Football Acumen
Man, the beef between Stephen A. Smith and Jason Whitlock is legendary. From their ESPN days, these two have been at each other’s throats. Even after Whitlock got fired from the company, they’ve kept the shots coming. Usually, it’s personal jabs, but this time? Whitlock went for the jugular: Smith’s expertise itself. Can you believe it? The dude who’s maybe the biggest name in sports media today, raking in that massive $105 million deal, gets told by a former colleague he’s not even qualified for the very sport he talks about. Whitlock called out Smith’s “acumen regarding the sport directly” in a video on X as the NFL season gets closer.
The Blunders Whitlock Pulled To Prove His Point
Whitlock didn’t just throw out accusations; he brought receipts, pulling actual clips from Smith’s own shows! First up, back in 2018, before a Chargers and Chiefs game, Smith called the Chargers “San Diego.” Uh, hello? They’d already moved to Los Angeles by then. Then there was the Patriots’ defense. Smith was praising their “top-five defense” and giving huge credit to defensive coordinator Terrell Williams. Problem? Williams was away from the team nearly the entire season battling cancer. Yikes. But maybe the biggest blunder? The 2025 NFL season, after the Houston Texans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card. Smith mixed up the Texans’ wide receiver Christian Kirk with prominent right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot at one of his events. That’s a huge miss right there.
Whitlock didn’t pull punches, saying, “This is the man they crowned the face of ESPN, and the network now has to quietly walk it back before the Super Bowl.” He even added, “Because you cannot sell America the biggest game of the year with a host that doesn’t know the difference between Samuel L. Jackson and Lamar Jackson.” Look, Smith’s influence at ESPN is massive. It’s tough to see his stature changing overnight. But after all these recent mass layoffs at the network, things are clearly shifting. The microscope is probably huge on Smith now, especially with Whitlock constantly calling out every single misstep. You gotta wonder how long ESPN can let this go on without it becoming a real problem.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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