Stephen A. Smith came out swinging after ESPN cut ties with Ryan Clark this week. Now, he’s finding himself on the receiving end of criticism from another sports media voice.
Dan Dakich Calls Out Stephen A. Smith After ESPN Layoffs
Dan Dakich, reacting on his own show, wasted no time going after Smith over his emotional response to Clark’s exit. “Not even Stephen A. Smith could save the job for Ryan Clark,” Dakich said, kicking off a pointed takedown of ESPN’s most recognizable personality.
Clark, a former Super Bowl champion and longtime NFL analyst, was pulled off “NFL Live” mid-broadcast once ESPN realized a story about his firing was about to break.
Smith, visibly shaken, took to his YouTube channel afterward and called Clark “arguably the best NFL analyst in America,” adding that his exit “hurts” more than he could put into words.
Smith went further, revealing he’d actually been consulted by ESPN brass before the decision came down. “Was I asked what I thought what my feelings were? Yes, I was,” he said. “Of course I said we have to keep them. But I don’t get to make those decisions.”
That admission is exactly what set Dakich off. In his eyes, Smith was overstating his own pull at the network while publicly airing internal business he had no real say in.
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“Stephen A. Smith, who thinks he is the grand poobah of ESPN, he’s not,” Dakich said bluntly. He argued that Smith’s reputation for influence is built on perception, not actual power inside the company. “He has no influence within the company. He has no suck whatsoever,” Dakich added, naming Pat McAfee instead as the true face of the network these days.
Dakich didn’t stop at questioning Smith’s clout. He accused him of leveraging race to protect his own position financially, claiming Smith “had leverage, used his leverage, used racism, and forced ESPN’s hand to pay him $20 million.” Strong words that are sure to stir up plenty of debate online.
Stephen A. Smith airs out ESPN’s dirty laundry over Ryan Clark.@dandakich reacts to Stephen A. Smith blaming ESPN for letting Ryan Clark go.
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He also took aim at Smith’s actual body of work as an analyst, arguing there’s little substance behind the persona.
“You can’t name one thing that he actually analyzed that was interesting or that he taught or that he actually entertained,” Dakich said. Then came the sharper jab: “You can name numerous things that he said that were racially wrong.”
Smith, for his part, framed his reaction as loyalty rather than posturing. He described Clark as “conscientious and thoughtful” and pushed back on how people were characterizing him publicly after the news broke.
He acknowledged that layoffs are simply part of the business, even hinting that more cuts were likely on the way. “Business is business,” he said, before signing off with a heartfelt message to Clark directly.
Clark’s ESPN run wasn’t without its rough patches, either. He faced criticism over comments made after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, drew scrutiny for how he handled coverage of Kyren Lacy’s death, and clashed on air with fellow analyst Peter Schrager.
