On Friday’s episode of First Take, commentator Stephan A. Smith went out on a limb saying women should be careful not to provoke men to commit violence. Today he has publicly apologized for what he said and that he should have articulated his words better.
Cari Champion, who is apart of First Take, is usually the mediator between Skip Bayless and Smith. However, she spoke about what Smith had to say, and gave her personal opinion that Ray Rice should have been suspended for more than two games, reported by USA Today.
Since Friday’s episode, Smith has received a lot of negative backlash. Specifically from ESPN’s own Michelle Beadle. She was disgusted with what Smith had to say and offended with the term provoking.
So I was just forced to watch this morning's First Take. A) I'll never feel clean again B) I'm now aware that I can provoke my own beating.
— Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle) July 25, 2014
According to NBC Sports, Smith made a poor attempt on Twitter to elaborate his statement about domestic violence.
This is not the first time Smith has touched on controversial topics on First Take. In May, he spoke about Mark Cuban’s public comments and he agreed with him.