The rivalry between Stephen A. Smith and Jason Whitlock needs no introduction. From their time together at ESPN, the two have constantly been at odds. Even after the latter was fired from the position within the company, the duo has continued to have it out for each other.
While the feud between them has dissolved into personal shots against one another, this time around, Whitlock chose to attack Smith’s expertise. Despite being one of, if not the biggest name in sports media today, the former Fox Sports employee didn’t think Smith was qualified enough.
Jason Whitlock Doesn’t Believe in Stephen A. Smith
As “First Take” has continued to rise in prominence, Smith has been directly tied to the show’s success. The main host of the sports media talk show, his fame has continued to rise across the nation.
As a result, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, Smith’s current deal with “ESPN deal totals five years and $105 million.” But as the NFL season nears, Whitlock has called out his acumen regarding the sport directly, blasting him in a video on X.
“Every time he opens his mouth about football, he proves he doesn’t actually know the sport,” Whitlock said.
But he didn’t come with just a proclamation. Going a step further, Whitlock pulled clips from Smith’s shows to prove his point.
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The first came from 2018, before a game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs, where Smith referred to the Chargers as San Diego, after the team had already moved to Los Angeles.
“He goes on air praising the Patriots’ top-five defense and lavishes credit on defensive coordinator Terrell Williams for a hell of a job when Williams had been away from the team nearly the entire season battling cancer,” Whitlock added about Smith.
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Finally, his focus shifted to perhaps Smith’s biggest blunder from the 2025 NFL season. After the Houston Texans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round, he mixed up their wide receiver Christian Kirk with prominent right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot at one of his events.
“This is the man they crowned the face of ESPN, and the network now has to quietly walk it back before the Super Bowl,” Whitlock continued. “Because you cannot sell America the biggest game of the year with a host that doesn’t know the difference between Samuel L. Jackson and Lamar Jackson.”
Given the power and influence Smith has had with the company, it is hard to imagine a scenario where his stature changes. But after mass layoffs over the past week, it is clear that the network is undergoing rapid changes.
As a result, the microscope might be larger on Smith than before, especially as his rival keeps pointing out any potential missteps from him.
