Stephen A. Smith-Jason Whitlock feud, explained: Why former ESPN colleagues rekindled years-long beef

David Suggs

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Stephen A. Smith-Jason Whitlock feud, explained: Why former ESPN colleagues rekindled years-long beef image

Stephen A. Smith is fed up.

The longtime ESPN host's cold war with conservative pundit (and former ESPN counterpart) Jason Whitlock is heating up.

On Wednesday, Smith dropped a video vowing to "get in" on Whitlock during his eponymous radio show, just days after Whitlock appeared to accuse Smith of lying in his memoir, "Straight Shooter", which came out last year.

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Smith released a full hour-long rant directed at his adversary on Wednesday night. In it, he branded Whitlock as the "worst human being that I've ever known."

"He's a piece of s—," Smith said. "He's the dude that's going to have a funeral and ain't going to be no pallbearers."

Smith unleashed a torrent of criticism and personal attacks towards Whitlock. The former ESPN man recently suggested that Smith penned falsehoods in his memoir, using Katt Williams' recent appearance on Shannon Sharpe's "Club Shay Shay" podcast as fuel to call Smith an industry plant.

Whitlock wrote a column shortly after the Williams interview dropped, released on right-wing media website The Blaze. The column was entitled "Does Katt Williams’ interview expose Stephen A. Smith as a fraud?"

Smith offered a rebuttal for Whitlock's claims earlier in the week, saying the following while speaking on "First Take", the show he has become synonymous with.

“There are people out there lying and actually putting out there that I didn’t write my book,” Smith said. “I can assure you, so help me God, I wrote my book. It’s my memoir. It’s my life story. I wasn’t leaving that in the hands of other people. So, people who say that, it’s just lies.”

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On Wednesday night, he took it to another level.

Smith detailed some of his prior encounters with Whitlock, implying that the current right-wing talking head was groveling to seek the attention of Smith, Jemele Hill, Howard Bryant and other prominent Black journalists under the ESPN umbrella.

“While you were on Blaze TV spewing that bulls–t to people, did you tell them that? Did you tell them how you stood outside of ‘First Take’ begging me to talk to you?” Smith said. “Did you tell them that once this same article in Deadspin came out, weeks later you wrote a lengthy apology to me in an email begging me to forgive you? Pointing out how you were betrayed by this particular writer so you know how I must feel that you betrayed me? Did you tell the folks that? You b—. Did you tell them? You fat piece of s—.”

Smith also called Whitlock a person who is “worse than white supremacist."

“You see what he does is, he’s the one that puts himself in front of white folks. The white folks, not all white folks, not most white folks, but the white folks that dare we say may have a problem with Black folks,” Smith said. 

“He says ‘I’m your man.’ That’s what he does. You think I’m lying? Ask ESPN. Ask Fox. Ask the Kansas City Star. Ask them all.

"I could not imagine, as a Black man, knowing our history, anything worse than a white supremacist. That is until Jason Whitlock came along. He’s worse than them. He is the worst, most despicable, lying, no-good, fat-a— human being I have ever known in my life.”

Smith suggested that the reason Whitlock — formerly considered a rising star on mainstream networks — is now writing columns for right-wing outlets like Blaze is because he burns bridges with people who come within his orbit.

"All the executives at all the networks, they know what a piece of s— he is," Smith said.

"I'm a very forgiving person. Not with him. ... I hate this b—. Far more than a little bit. He is the worst human being any of you will ever meet. You get within a mile of his presence, wrap your arms around yourself to protect your soul. He is Cain. He is a devil. The worst. That's all I have to say."

Very few journalists disagreed with Smith's characterization of Whitlock. Former ESPNers Hill, Stan Verrett and others offered their view of Whitlock as the feud heated up online. 

Smith confirmed that his contract features a clause promising to never make him work with Whitlock again.

Whitlock responded Smith's claims on Twitter, and continued to post about him Thursday, referring to him as "Stephen A. Myth". 

As of midday Thursday, he was crowdsourcing social media for evidence that Smith played basketball during his youth. 

Given the platforms both men have at their disposal, that surely won't be the end of it. 

David Suggs

David Suggs Photo

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.