Stephen A. Smith, co-host of ESPN’s First Take, was suspended by the network in the wake of remarks he made regarding domestic violence. His remarks, which were in response to the NFL suspending Baltimore Ravens RB Ray Rice for 2 games, created a firestorm on sports radio, and the social media universe. Smith said: “We know [abusing women is] wrong,” Smith concedes, though toward the end of his monologue he casts doubt on who, exactly, is to blame for said abuse, given “the elements of provocation.”
That statement led to a series of critical tweets from his ESPN colleague Michelle Beadle:
So I was just forced to watch this morning’s First Take. A) I’ll never feel clean again B) I’m now aware that I can provoke my own beating.
