Stephen A. Smith is arguably the best-known sportscaster in the country. But the outspoken ESPN commentator's perspective outside of the sports arena has landed him in a firestorm.
The furor stems from his scathing comments in defense of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who shot and killed a Minneapolis woman as she walked away from him.
Just hours after Wednesday's shooting, Smith said on his SiriusXM talk show “Straight Shooter” that while the killing of Renee Nicole Good was “completely unnecessary,” he added that the officer “from a legal perspective” was “completely justified” in shooting her with his gun.
He also noted: “However, from a humanitarian perspective, why did he have to do that?”
Smith's comments about the agent being in danger echoed the views of Homeland Security Undersecretary Kristi Noem, who said Good engaged in an “act of domestic terrorism” by attacking the officers and attempting to run them over with his vehicle.
However, videos showing the incident from different angles indicate that the officer was not standing directly in front of Good's vehicle when he opened fire on her. Local officials maintain that Good posed no danger to ICE agents. A video posted by partisan media outlet Alpha News showed Good speaking to officers before the shooting and saying, “I'm not mad at you.”
The shooting has sparked large protests and accusations from local officials that ICE's presence has been disruptive and escalated the violence. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye condemned ICE and told agents to “get the hell out of our city.”
The incident, in turn, has exposed Smith, raising questions about whether he was reckless or irresponsible in offering his views on the shooting of Good when he had no direct knowledge of what had happened.
An angry Smith appeared Friday on his “Straight Shooter” show on YouTube, saying the full context of his comments had not been conveyed in media reports, specifically criticizing the New York Post and media personality Keith Olbermann, while saying people were trying to get him fired.
He also doubled down on his claim that Good caused the situation that led to his death, saying that the ICE agent was in front of Good's car and would have been hit if he had not moved out of the way.
“When you're dealing with law enforcement officers, you obey their orders so you can get home safely,” he said. “Renee Good didn't do that.”
When contacted for comment on his statements, a representative for Smith said his response was on Friday's show.
It is not the first time that Smith, who has suggested he is interested in entering politics, has emerged outside the sports universe. He and journalist Joy Reid fell out publicly after her departure from MSNBC last year.
He also faced backlash from Black media personalities and others when he accused Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas of using “street verbiage” in her frequent criticism of President Trump.
“The way Jasmine Crockett chooses to express herself… Aren't you there to try to get things done instead of just being an impediment? 'I'm going to talk about Trump, curse him every chance I get, say the most derogatory things imaginable, and that's my day job?' That's not work! The job is that this is the man in power. I know what your agenda is. Maybe try working with this man. Maybe I'll get something for my constituents.' “
