ESPN's Marty Smith was brought on to "SportsCenter" to deliver a report on a noose being found in Bubba Wallace's garage, but Smith couldn't help but let himself get emotional on the subject.
Smith went on a passionate speech while talking about the subject, often trying to avoid using too many expletives. He let one slip, but was otherwise careful because he was on live television.
"This sport is in a moment where this crap, this despicable crap is not only not acceptable, but there's just no place for it," Smith said. "And whomever that is, I hope that you are so ashamed of yourself. I hope that you realize that that is someone’s dignity. And that is someone's positioning in this sport who has earned his place by talent and by hard work. And he stood up for something that he believed, and he asked for help from other people who believe similarly. And the measures were taken to start taking those steps."
MORE: NASCAR community reacts to noose in Wallace's garage
Smith went on to discuss how much he enjoyed Talladega before this incident.
"[Talladega] is my favorite race. I love the staff here," Smith says. "And then some ... I'm about to say words I'm not allowed to say. Something like this happens? In the garage area? In the garage area of Richard Petty's race car?"
Smith has covered NASCAR for ESPN since 2006, and he truly cares about the sport. So to see something like this happen, he was clearly frustrated.
"For a young man in Bubba Wallace, who has galvanized so many people because he was willing to stand up for something that is so long overdue, and NASCAR’s current management level, executive level agrees that it was time to take this stand, and somebody goes and does this," Smith said. "You're not just hurting one or two people, whomever you are. You're hurting a whole lot of people who have made the decision that it is damn sure time to go be better, and it pisses me the hell off. And it pisses everybody else in the sport off who care, who care not only for Bubba, but for every single person that he is standing up for. And I am so sorry that we even have to have this discussion tonight."
Many viewers who were watching Smith live tweeted their support, and felt his passion.
Marty Smith speaks from the heart and always has. He loves NASCAR and is talking for so many fans, media, drivers and so many more connected with the sport tonight. pic.twitter.com/KIEKiVvK7f
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) June 22, 2020
Marty Smith is almost dropping F bombs on ESPN. He is incredibly upset, and I’m with him.
— Jordan Dajani (@JordanDajani) June 22, 2020
Shoutout to Marty Smith being so vulnerable and showing humility during a moment like this. They gotta find the man. This is sick pic.twitter.com/BAe53qrY2O
— JUNE (@LeeonPhelps) June 22, 2020
As for Wallace, Smith reports that the driver never actually saw the noose. Someone else on his team noticed it and they brought it to NASCAR's attention.
"This will not break me, I will not give in nor will I back down," Wallace said in a statement on Twitter. "I will continue to proudly stand for what I believe in."
