Eh, fukk Stephen A. Smith. I understand what he was saying, although he could've expressed it more articulately, and there wasn't really a need to say it on First Take. But he's feeling himself too much in his role as a self-styled and unqualified social critic. So he has to eat whatever he gets. Stfu and talk about basketball. You ain't Tavis Smiley.
I almost (almost, but not quite) feel sorry for Steppin A. Fetch, because he's like a trained Orca at Sea World. ESPN has been giving him bigger and better treats for every time he jumps through the hoops of shallow social criticism or balances the ball of black cultural pathology on his nose, so I can understand his shock at being attacked for these comments. He's just exhibiting the asinine behavior his handlers have encouraged, which the audience usually applauds.
ESPN is ultra-foul for having long ago decided complex social and racial issues were grist for the ratings mill. Would it take more than a couple phone calls and minimal coordinating to get someone on air who can articulate a comprehensive viewpoint on the Ray Rice suspension as it relates to the larger societal discourse on domestic abuse and misogyny? They've given that Roach-Cricket/Sherman Hemsley Frankenstein such a long leash that he's spastically running around the yard getting tangled in it, and it's inevitable he's going to hang himself.