ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith has found himself in hot water recently thanks to -- well, where to begin?
There's long been a trope about Screamin' A. Smith and his role in the boom of hot take culture, but it seems that he's hit a new gear recently that has worn almost everyone thin. The most recent example of this was images of Smith playing solitaire in the middle of the NBA Finals, a game has had some pretty intense takes on despite clearly not paying full attention.
He clapped back at these claims by simply stating he doesn't care what people think of him, but that's only encouraged folks to step forward with opinions. Specifically, the list of ex-ESPN colleagues speaking out against him continues to grow, with the latest one being rather scathing.
Stephen A. Smith gets roasted by ex-ESPN host during radio interview
Former ESPN host Jason Fitz made an appearance on 92.9 ESPN in Memphis, where he went off on Smith and his lack of preparation when talking about topics. His fiery comments were in response to Smith claiming on national television that NBA players didn't want to play for the Memphis Grizzlies because the city was too dangerous.
“Stephen A. is one of the least prepared people I’ve ever worked with in my entire career,” Fitz said. “[He] walks and talks and lives and eats and breathes stereotypes. That’s all he knows… Frankly, he has to talk about the city of Memphis because my guy hasn’t watched a single Memphis basketball game in probably three years."
Fitz's comments echo a growing consensus of dissatisfaction with Smith for a number of reasons, all of which create a perfect storm to make him a villain. His bloated nine-figure salary is seen as rewarding the wrong kind of journalism, and looks even worse considering the mass layoffs ESPN went through while Smith was signing his new deal.
Add to that context the fact that he routinely seems to have half-baked takes while ESPN is planning on making him an even bigger presence across all major sports at the network, and you begin to see why there's so much frustration over things like his solitaire antics.
Fitz is hardly the only former ESPN employee to speak out against Smith's work ethic, and it doesn't seem like the line is going to be getting shorter any time soon.