Full Show: Stephen A criticized for defending Jay Z. FBI informants present on January 6? NFL Linebacker refuses to play.

Summary

The Stephen A. Smith Show – Full Episode Summary
Release Date: December 13, 2024
Episode Title: Stephen A. Criticized for Defending Jay Z. FBI Informants Present on January 6? NFL Linebacker Refuses to Play.

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, Stephen A. Smith delves into some of the most talked-about controversies of the week, blending his unfiltered opinions with in-depth discussions alongside top analysts. From the high-stakes legal battles surrounding Jay Z to explosive revelations about FBI informants during the January 6 Capitol riot, and a shocking incident in the NFL, Smith covers it all with his signature vigor.

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1. Jay Z Lawsuit and Stephen A.'s Defense

Timestamp: 01:12 – 12:44

The episode opens with Stephen A. addressing the recent lawsuit filed against music mogul Jay Z and Sean "Diddy" Combs. The suit alleges that both artists were involved in the rape of a 13-year-old girl over two decades ago. Jay Z has vehemently denied these accusations, calling out attorney Tony Busby for what he perceives as an extortion attempt.

Key Points:

• Jay Z's Response: Jay Z issued a strong defense, urging Busby to pursue criminal charges instead of a civil suit. He stated,

  "These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one. Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away."
  (Timestamp: 04:00)

• Impact on Business: Despite the grave allegations, the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, has stated that ROC Nation’s partnership with the NFL remains unaffected. Goodell remarked,

  "We are aware of the civil allegations and Jay Z's really strong response to that. Our relationship is not changing with them, including our preparations for the next Super Bowl."
  (Timestamp: 11:30)

• Stephen A.'s Personal Defense: Drawing from his long-term relationships, Smith expressed unwavering support for Jay Z, emphasizing his personal knowledge of Jay Z’s character.

  "If you've known somebody for 25 years, do you not have the right to say, I've known that person for 25 years? I can't imagine him being guilty of such a thing."
  (Timestamp: 08:15)

Smith underscores the emotional toll and frustration of having to defend a close acquaintance publicly, highlighting the complexities of personal loyalty versus public scrutiny.

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2. In-Depth Discussion with Legal Analyst Daniel Jeremiah

Timestamp: 16:03 – 36:40

Stephen A. brings on ABC and ESPN legal analyst Daniel Jeremiah to unpack the legal intricacies of the Jay Z case and its broader implications.

Key Points:

• Understanding the Demand Letter: Jeremiah explains that a demand letter is typically a lawyer’s attempt to initiate a settlement or mediation in civil disputes.

  "A demand letter sent by Tony Busby was essentially asking Jay Z to settle the claim of assault through mediation rather than facing public litigation."
  (Timestamp: 16:32)

• Jay Z's Perception of Extortion: Jay Z views the demand letter as an extortion attempt because it threatens public exposure unless he cooperates financially.

  "From his perspective, it's an extortion attempt because if he doesn't cooperate with the mediation, his name is exposed."
  (Timestamp: 17:56)

• Comparison to Diddy Combs Case: Jeremiah draws parallels to the Diddy Combs situation, noting differences in allegations and the potential for broader investigations if the case progresses.

  "The Jay Z case is different from the Diddy case as there's no suggestion of a criminal enterprise, but involvement in similar high-profile allegations attracts significant attention from investigators."
  (Timestamp: 25:07)

• Statute of Limitations and Evidence: The discussion touches on the challenges posed by the 24-year gap since the alleged incident, including the statute of limitations and availability of evidence.

  "Given that the incident occurred in 2000, the statute of limitations may complicate criminal charges, though civil proceedings can still proceed."
  (Timestamp: 23:09)

Jeremiah emphasizes the uncertainty surrounding the case, highlighting the importance of awaiting further evidence and legal developments.

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3. FBI Informants Report on January 6

Timestamp: 42:07 – 70:28

Shifting gears, Stephen A. addresses a bombshell report from the Justice Department revealing that the FBI had at least 26 confidential informants present during the January 6 Capitol riot. This revelation has stirred significant debate and political commentary.

Key Points:

• Details of the Report: The Justice Department disclosed that out of the 26 informants, only three were instructed to observe potential domestic terrorist suspects, while the remaining 23 attended the event independently, engaging in illegal activities.

• Political Reactions: Vice President-elect J.D. Vance criticized the revelation, stating,

  "So 23 folks for the FBI were in the crowd and we're just finding that out. Didn't hear anything about that for the election."
  (Timestamp: 60:39)

• Stephen A.'s Commentary: Smith expresses frustration over what he perceives as the Democratic Party’s lack of transparency and accountability, questioning the integrity of their narratives during the election and beyond.

  "I'm really, really sick and tired of every time I turn around finding something else that the Democrats have lied about or downplayed or misrepresented along the way."
  (Timestamp: 61:43)

• Broader Implications: The discussion touches on the potential impacts on public trust and the ongoing political tensions, with Smith arguing that such revelations undermine the credibility of Democratic narratives and bolster criticisms from opponents like Donald Trump.

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4. NFL Linebacker Refuses to Play

Timestamp: 40:05 – 44:44

A controversial incident in the NFL serves as the next hot topic, where San Francisco 49ers linebacker Devondre Campbell refused to enter the game after two teammates were injured, subsequently leaving the field during the fourth quarter.

Key Points:

• Incident Overview: Campbell, a seasoned linebacker, was called to replace injured players but declined, exiting the game and leaving the team frustrated.

  "He's done. It's over. It's over."
  (Timestamp: 40:05)

• Team and Player Reactions: Teammates and coaches expressed disappointment, with quarterback Javarius Ward labeling Campbell’s actions as "sucker stuff" and suggesting he might be cut from the team.

  "If he didn't want to play, he shouldn't have dressed out. He could have told them that before the game."
  (Timestamp: 42:00)

• Stephen A.'s Opinion: Smith vehemently criticizes Campbell’s decision, comparing it to abandoning soldiers in battle and deeming it unforgivable, asserting that such behavior could end a player’s career.

  "This is the epitome of leaving a soldier on the field, in the field of battle. That is the epitome of abandoning your teammates. That is the epitome of selling out. It is unforgivable."
  (Timestamp: 43:20)

Smith underscores the importance of team cohesion and accountability, emphasizing that Campbell's actions betray the fundamental principles of professional sportsmanship.

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5. Sports Highlights and Personal Commentary

Timestamp: 44:44 – 70:28

Beyond the heavy topics, Smith also shares insights and highlights from the sports world, celebrating achievements and analyzing performances.

Key Highlights:

• Caitlin Clark Named TIME Athlete of the Year:
  Clark acknowledges her white privilege and emphasizes the importance of elevating Black women in sports.

  "The more we can elevate black women, that's going to be a beautiful thing."
  (Timestamp: 57:45)

• Bronnie James’ Performance:
  Highlighting Bronnie James' standout game for the South Bay Lakers, Smith praises his efforts in the G League, drawing parallels to his father, LeBron James.

  "Bronnie, who was the 55th pick in the NBA Draft, is now averaging 14 points, three and a half rebounds and 2.5 assists in four games in the G League. I'm just happy he got action."
  (Timestamp: 60:42)

• Travis Hunter’s Awards:
  Celebrating Hunter’s impressive haul of postseason awards and his status as a Heisman Trophy favorite, Smith extols his academic and athletic prowess.

  "He clearly should win the Heisman, that kid from Boise State. That running back ain't no joke, though. But I'm Travis Hunter all day, every day."
  (Timestamp: 63:25)

Smith uses these segments to highlight emerging talents and commend their contributions to sports, blending enthusiasm with constructive criticism.

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6. Political Commentary and Frustration

Timestamp: 61:43 – 70:28

Throughout the episode, Smith interweaves political commentary, expressing frustration with the Democratic Party’s actions and perceived inconsistencies.

Key Points:

• Critique of Democratic Transparency: Smith questions the Democrats' financial practices and their handling of allegations, highlighting perceived hypocrisy.

  "Where's the one and a half billion dollars that was given to the Democratic Party? Where is it?"
  (Timestamp: 62:00)

• Frustration with Media Narratives: He challenges the accuracy and honesty of media representations, especially concerning high-profile political figures and scandals.

  "They seem right. I would love to argue with Sean Hannity. How can I?"
  (Timestamp: 64:00)

• Impact on Public Trust: Smith argues that these revelations and perceived double standards have eroded public trust in the Democratic Party, reinforcing narratives of corruption and deceit.

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Conclusion

In this episode, Stephen A. Smith delivers a potent mix of passionate commentary, expert analysis, and sports highlights. From defending a close friend against serious allegations to dissecting political scandals and condemning unethical behavior in sports, Smith's unflinching approach offers listeners a candid look into the issues shaping today's cultural and political landscape. Whether agreeing with his stance or not, The Stephen A. Smith Show ensures that no topic is off-limits, maintaining its reputation as a platform that entertains, informs, and motivates its audience.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• "These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one." — Jay Z (04:00)

• "If you've known somebody for 25 years, do you not have the right to say, I've known that person for 25 years?" — Stephen A. Smith (08:15)

• "That is the epitome of leaving a soldier on the field, in the field of battle. That is the epitome of abandoning your teammates. That is the epitome of selling out. It is unforgivable." — Stephen A. Smith (43:20)

• "The more we can elevate black women, that's going to be a beautiful thing." — Caitlin Clark (57:45)

• "I'm Travis Hunter all day, every day." — Stephen A. Smith (63:25)

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Final Thoughts

This episode exemplifies Stephen A. Smith's ability to navigate complex and sensitive topics with a blend of personal insight and authoritative discussion. His interactions with legal expert Daniel Jeremiah provide a nuanced understanding of ongoing legal battles, while his fervent opinions on sports and politics engage listeners to think critically about the narratives presented to them.

Transcript

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[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm happy as a clam. No conclusive scientific research has shown clams can experience happiness.

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[Greg Rosenthal]

What's up, everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the King of spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents, the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101 free agents, we'll have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What's up, everybody? Welcome to the latest edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. Coming at you as I love to do at the very least three times a week over the digital airways of YouTube. As always, I'd like to take a moment to thank my subscribers and followers. I've eclipsed over 961,000, rapidly approaching 1 million subscribers. Obviously, there's been a few million downloads over iHeartRadio over the last few months. I can't thank y'all for the support and love enough. I wouldn't have this show if it wasn't for y'all support. I really, really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Keep it coming and I'm gonna keep on coming to continue to like and follow the show. Just click the bell and you too will be deemed the latest member of the Stephen A. Smith show family, obviously accessible to all of our newest content. So keep that in mind. And while you're doing so, make sure to grab a copy of my New York Times bestselling book, Straight Shooter, A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes. Right? Right. In paperback right now. Just go to straightshooterbook.com once again, that straightshooter book.com to get yourself a copy, particularly over the Christmas holidays. It's motivational it's inspirational. I'm not bragging. I'm just giving you facts. Because it ain't a, it ain't a sports book. It's about me, my life, the adversity that I face, the obstacles that I've overcome, the challenges that I've had to endure, and how you keep on marching forward no matter what obstacles lie in front of your face. On this particular day, we're going to start with the whole Jay Z thing because I'm not going to lie to you, I'm pissed off. I'm pretty pissed off at a lot of people. I'm pissed off at some folks in the public. I'm pissed off at some folks in my own damn family. I'm pissed off at folks on my staff. I'm, I'm pissed off at everybody, okay? Because I don't like to be misconstrued. It kind of gets on my last damn nerves. So we going to get started by touching on this subject and attacking it with the level of candor and clarity that I like. Okay? So there's no, there's no mimicking or muttering behind closed doors. All right, we're going to get started with the Jay Z headlines. Obviously, for all of you who didn't know Sleeping Under a Rock, he was named in a lawsuit earlier this week alongside Sean Diddy Combs. The suit accuses both men of raping a 13 year old girl more than 20 years ago. Jay Z came out swinging in his defense, calling out the attorney Tony Busby, who reportedly approached Jay Z with a demand letter before attaching his name in the Diddy suit. Jay Z even called on Busby to file a criminal complaint. Here's the statement from Jay Z in the immediate aftermath of the news breaking. Quote, these allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one. Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away. Would you not agree these alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case? End quote. In the aftermath of the suit, many have wondered what impact the allegations would have on Jay Z and his businesses. His company, ROC Nation, has a part partnership deal with the National Football League to produce the super bowl halftime show. Here's what Commissioner Roger Goodell of the NFL had to say this week when asked about the suit. Quote, we are aware of the civil allegations and Jay Z's really strong response to that. We know obviously that litigation is happening, but from our standpoint, our relationship is not changing with them, including our preparations for the next super bowl, end quote. One could easily surmise that saying, innocence until proven guilty. But we won't even go there. We won't even go there. And in the interest of full disclosure, when I say family, I'm not talking about media family. You talk about cousins and aunts and people like that. You're talking about people who you consider family. You're talking about people that you work with every day, colleagues and all of this other stuff. All right? I have tremendous people that work for me. I'm very proud of myself. And even though I get in the ass a lot of times when. Especially when they get on my last damn nerves, as they have done today, okay? In the end, I want to preface my comments about them and anybody who thinks like them, some of them. I want to preface my comments by saying I know they're doing it to look out for me, and I appreciate it. But I can appreciate you looking out for me and still be annoyed to shit at you, because that's where I'm going here. The reason why I'm going in this direction, ladies and gentlemen, is because I want you to understand something. When I spoke about Jay Z and I saw my comments all over social media and I saw it everywhere. You didn't hear me say I had knowledge of the case. You didn't hear me say I had knowledge of who Jane Doe is. You didn't hear me say that I knew a scintilla of what the hell these allegations entail other than what all of you know. I don't know anything. I'm not espousing innocence or guilt from a literal perspective. But what I'm saying to you, to all of yous in America, in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where I just came from, to Africa, to England and France and everywhere in between, what I'm saying to you is this. If you've known somebody for 25 years, do you not have the right to say, I've known that person for 25 years? I can't see that. I can't see that happening. Do you know how I would feel? I have somebody that works for me. My man Rashawn. I got my man Galen that I've known for 25 years. Both of them. 20, 25 years. I've got people in the industry that are my friends and my. Not just my colleagues and contemporaries, my friends. They've known me for decades. Stephen A. Smith gets a. Gets accused of rape. Y'all got nothing to say? Nothing. You're just going to sit there and have nothing to say? Just going to let me hang out there. If you believe in your heart, damn, I've known him for 25 years. I can't imagine him being guilty of such a thing. Nobody's going to say that. Nobody. There's nobody in this world that you say that about. If that's your answer, I feel sorry for you, because that means you don't believe in anybody. You don't have a heart and a soul enough inside of you to imagine that somebody. Score. Decency is just too much to think that they would do something like that. That is a generic statement. That is not impugning the alleged accuser. The, The, The. The accuser. That is not impugning even the lawyer. We certainly wouldn't impugn the courts. We wouldn't do that. But I would hope that if somebody knows you for 25 years and you consider them a friend, that you can say, I can't imagine that. I could never see them doing something like that. I don't believe it. You literally have people scurrying in this industry and advising other people. It's not just me. It's a whole bunch of other people. Oh, don't say anything. Say, oh, you can't say that. I can't say I know nothing. I'm not casting the spurgeons on anybody. I'm just telling you the person that I have known for 25 years, that I have seen around young ladies is not a person I could ever imagine doing something like that. I can't say that because that's all I said. Anything else to go any further would be irresponsible. It would be stupid. And I don't believe I'm either. So when people come and they want you to be so ultra, ultra, ultra careful. I understand the careful part. I understand it. But shouldn't you be careful enough to actually listen to my words? You see, this is the same platform where I was raked through the coals for months because I was accused of lumping Donald Trump and criminality in the black community. When I was asked a question about his direct supporters and how they felt about his assertions that there was relatability, that is the question I was answering. It didn't stop the NAACP from opening their mouth. It didn't stop colleagues and contemporaries from opening their mouth. I had friends that I've known for decades that opened their mouth and just jumped on the bandwagon along with everybody else and forgot who I was. How you think I feel about them now? Because all you had to do was listen to What I said and say, yo, that's not what he said. Maybe he should have said something differently. Or maybe he's wrong. We'll talk about it. But to cast dispersions on them. Why do you think I get pissed off when I see people on podcast and stuff like that, talking all the time. It's never with people that don't know me. And if you're an enemy like a couple of people are, because it's just a couple, it's really just one that makes up a couple. But I ain't gonna go there today. Outside of that, I don't sweat it. You have a right to your opinion, whoever you are. Just contextualize it accurately and stick to the actual issue as opposed to using something to branch out and castigate people's characters. My sympathy and my empathy is extreme when it comes to anybody that has been raped. Women are obviously far more often victims of such a heinous crime than men. I have friends who are Muslims, who are Christians, who are Jewish, who are Catholic. Hell, I even know a couple of atheists. And the people that I know when it comes to issues of rape, they consider that tantamount to murder. It to rape a woman is to kill her. To kill a part of her there is not. Outside of literally taking her life.

[Ryan Smith]

That.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Is what you have done to her. It's just that blood is still circulating through her body and she's still able to breathe, but she's dead. It should never be condoned, ever. In anybody who's guilty of that at the very least should be thrown under the damn jail. Fine. Outside of that, if somebody is accused and they adamantly deny it and you believe their character is incapable of such a thing, it's not you okaying such a heinous act, it's you saying that act is so heinous. I don't believe that person is capable of that. Based on the person that I've known for 25 years. And if I were ever to found to be wrong, I'd be sick to my stomach. As we all should be. Simple. Forget Jay Z for a second. I've got plenty of friends. I got cats that I grew up with. My man Cardell, my man Mark, Pulley, Spank, Ski, Boris. The cats that I went to school with, the cats that I grew up with, you come to me and tell me and remember. I grew up in Hollis, Queens. I grew up around drug dealers and drug users and yes, murderers. There's few cats that I grew up with, they in jail or dead. So you don't vouch for everybody in terms of what you believe. But what you can say is those who you do feel that way about, you can never imagine them doing that because you'd never consider them a friend if you could imagine them doing that. That's all. That's all. That's all I wanted to say about it. Nothing else. I don't understand why that's controversial when I know nothing. I wasn't there. I have no idea who to accuse. I don't know anything. All I was saying is that I know the guy for 25 years. It's hard for me to imagine he could ever be guilty. Not that guy that I've been around. I can't imagine it. That's all. Nothing more than that. Nothing more. It's time for me to go to a guest because I've said enough. That's the only point that I wanted to bring up. I didn't want to say anything more than that. Joining me to discuss the legal facts of the case is ABC and ESPN legal analyst Ryan Smith, who's been on here before talking about the P. Diddy case. He always edifies us, always appreciate his time. What's up, big time? How are you?

[Daniel Jeremiah]

What's going on, Stephen A. I'm good. How you doing?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I had to have you on because last time you were on everybody wanted to see that one, so I had to have you back on. Let's get right to it. According to the reports, Jay Z became embroiled in a puffy case after Busby sent the letter back last month that alleged Jay Z raped and drugged a 13 year old girl with combs at the 2000 VMA after party. My question to you with this was this. For those that don't know, he received a demand letter. Whatever. What's a demand letter? Explain what that is.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

A demand letter is essentially a letter a lawyer is going to send to ask somebody to take a certain action here. The demand letter sent by Tony Busby, the lawyer on behalf of the Jane Doe in this case was, hey, let's get together and have a mediation over a claim that my client has made that you assaulted her. Now, it seems once you hear that, you're alarmed, right? If you get that kind of letter. Tony Busby requested a mediation, a private mediation to try to go through this. But the reason why Jay Z reacts so strongly is it's kind of like, wait a second, this isn't a demand letter to pay a fine. This is a demand letter asking for some sort of legal action. Asking for some sort of civil. Civil discourse about a potential sexual assault. So for Jay Z, this demand letter would have, if he said yes, put him in mediation and in his mind, opened him up for a discussion about whether or not he owes damages for something he says he didn't do. So a demand letter is fairly common for lawyers to send to each other asking for a certain particular legal action. But in this case, because of the explosive natures of the. Of the claims, you can understand why Jay Z went off on Tony Busby.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Jay Z. Jay Z's team labeled this an extortion attempt. How is that hyperbole? Is that excessive? Is that on point? How would you qualify or classify such a label? An extortion attempt by Stephen A.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

It depends on your perspective.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right?

[Daniel Jeremiah]

So if you're Tony Busby, you have a client, and that's the lawyer for this Jane Doe who's accusing Jay Z of raping her when she was 13 at this after party. If you're Tony Busby, your client has made this claim, you want to try to settle it in a civil suit. So essentially, you're looking for money damages. So for you, it's reaching out, saying, hey, let's settle this thing. You've been named. And it's something I've filed, but I've kept that private. I want to have a discussion in mediation to sort this out. We can sort it out that way. The reason why Jay Z would see it as extortion is you got to start from the perspective from Jay Z of I didn't do this. So if you get a letter like that and you didn't do this, why would I do any sort of legal procedure? But when you think about the way Jay Z's looking at it, it's okay, I haven't been named in something. And if I don't do this mediation, what happens? Then I'm named. I'm subject to public scrutiny. Now, everybody believes that I did this thing that I said I didn't do, which, as you and I know, Stephen A. When somebody's name is put out there for a crime, a lot of times people believe it before they find out the facts. So for Jay Z, it appears to be an extortion attempt. Because he's saying, look, you're just trying to do this to get me for money. If I don't come to mediation, then you're going to expose me, which in a sense, did happen. His name got out there. And now in order to not do that, I've got to pay you money. And go through this mediation. So from his perspective, it's an extortion attempt because if he doesn't cooperate with the mediation, then his name's out there unless he pays money in some way. That's what, that's why they qualify it as extortion.

[Stephen A. Smith]

His response was swift, no question about that. And a strongly worded statement. He categorically denied any truth to these allegations that have been levied against him and said he wanted to give Busby one red penny, quote, unquote, and challenged Busby to file a criminal lawsuit rather than a civil one. What are we to make of, of that point that Jay Z made? Because I, I, it resonated with me, Ryan, from the standpoint that he was saying, listen, if this, if this is cr, if this is a crime that happened and this is so heinous, you know, where's the criminal charges? Bring it on. That's basically was what Jay Z was saying.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

Yeah. Stephen A. It's, it's like he's saying, hey, look, I'm innocent, so bring it all at me. If you think it's that, if you think I committed a crime, file a criminal charge. A couple things there. First, Tony Busby said in response to that, hey, I'm considering that it's up to my client. I'm going to leave that to her. There's a lot of different complications in this. The first thing is somebody might be able to file a criminal complaint in this case, or let's say Tony Busby could in some ways, but it's up to prosecutors to prosecute that case. So it's not as if you just go in and say, hey, I'm going to file a criminal charge against you. Not how it works. Prosecutor would have to be able to take up the case. The other thing is, in the case like this, this happened all the way back in 2000, right? So this is over 20 years ago. And if a prosecutor is looking at a case like this, they're looking at what's the evidence, like, who are the witnesses. This is one of the reasons why Jay Z is actually requesting right now in a filing that the name be revealed of the Jane Doe here. He's trying to figure out, okay, if you've made this claim, let's hear some witnesses, let's try to see the evidence here. Let's try to, let me try to get a sense of what my case would be here. But the real difficult part of this is the statute of limitations for first degree rape in New York State. If this is a New York State case that right now doesn't have a statute of limitations back then, depending on the charge, there could be a statute of limitations. So it gets a little complicated there. But if this is a first degree forcible rate kind of case that Tony Busby seems to be saying it is here, at least in these filings, charges could be a possibility. But filing a criminal complaint is different from prosecutors taking up that case and making a criminal charge happen. If the allegations are true, the alleged victim is.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Was 13 at the time, which means she's now grown. So how likely is it that she will be named?

[Daniel Jeremiah]

It's a tough scenario. They're asking the judge to talk about it. We can't know for sure. There's a couple different reasons. First, you name a client, you name a Jane Doe. In a case of this, the argument is generally this. You weigh the public need to have the information and the defendants right in some ways to have the information with the needs of the particular Jane Doe involved in here. What do I mean by that? Well, there's another side of this. If you look at it from the Jane Doe's perspective of is there the possibility for retribution, what would happen to that person if their name was revealed? That's one thing a judge would weigh. On Jay Z's side. They're going to weigh the public interest of it is, is there something that requires this to be out there? Does it in some way help the defendant build their case? So right now I look at a case like this and I say it's an unknown because you just don't know how a judge is going to decide in this case. And we also. Here's the big thing, Stephen A. We don't know the evidence and the details here. What we have right now is a claim from, from someone from over 20 years ago that this happened. Not saying it's not true, not saying the allegations aren't to be believed, just saying it's hard to know what's happening here until you have more evidence and more information out there.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But he has a right to know who she is. Now, it might not be revealed to the public, but if he's being accused, he has a right to know who he is being accused by. If not now, then obviously at some point that is expected to be the case, right?

[Daniel Jeremiah]

Definitely that will happen eventually. And you look at a case like this, even what becomes really interesting is this is a civil case. So I mentioned before, that's for money damages. But if this goes ahead as a civil case. So right now Jay Z is asking that it be thrown out. Either reveal the name or throw it out. If they don't throw it out and it goes forward. So if it's not dismissed, then you have things like depositions that happen. In those depositions, Jay Z is interviewed. The accuser, the person who's accusing him of the crime is interviewed. And that's where things get very interesting. See, I look at a case like this, and I think back to what we saw in the P. Diddy case, the allegations that came out there. And I look back to what happened in that case. Allegations. Investigators started interviewing people, started talking about different things, and eventually RICO charges were filed. Not saying Jay Z is related to that in any way. But one thing I think Jay Z has got to be concerned about is if this case goes forward, those depositions, he's got to answer all kinds of questions under oath. If you lie in depositions, you face the threat of perjury, which is a criminal offense. So in those instances, what becomes interesting is what's revealed there. This is one of the reasons why he has a criminal lawyer. Not because we're saying, hey, he did something wrong, but you get a criminal lawyer in a civil case like this because of what could happen of where an investigation could lead. You process a civil case. You never know if authorities might be looking at that in some way, investigating that in some way to see if there's some other charge, to see if there's some charge that might need to be brought. So that's where this thing gets very complicated. Yes, at some point he will learn the identity. But the question is, once he learns that identity and those depositions happen, what happens next?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Could you illustrate? Because one of the things that I've been making a point of is that, you know, listen, I don't know what happened, and I'm certainly not going to pretend to know what happened. I've known him for 25 years. So I've been on the record saying, I can't believe that the person that I've known for 25 years would be capable of such a thing. I don't believe it. But that's as far as anybody, any human being, as far as far as I'm concerned, can go. To go any. Any further than that would be utterly irresponsible. But what I want to also do is highlight the difference. Right now, people are acting like, to me, when you bring up P. Diddy, people bring up him and they bring up P. Diddy in the same sentence for obvious reasons. And I'm like, well, Homeland Security showed up to P. Diddy's properties in Miami, in Los Angeles, ultimately, and an arrest was forthcoming, which he knew, which is why he came to New York. And ultimately he was arrested and he has been incarcerated and denied bail. Not one, not two, but three different times. That clearly is not the case here. Should Jay Z be fearful that it could be the case? Is this the kind of thing that we're looking at down the line potentially?

[Daniel Jeremiah]

I'm glad you asked that question because I want to distinguish between what we're seeing right now, Stephen A. With the Jay Z situation and what we saw in the Diddy situation there. As you mentioned, right on his home, lengthy investigation going, even the charges, talking about a criminal enterprise, his companies and all that. Not only. And him not only involved in making records, but having this criminal enterprise with these freak offs. I would not connect. I'd be loath right now to connect the P. Diddy case with Jay Z. And for one really big reason and then other smaller reasons. The big reason is in the Diddy Combs case, they're arguing that he set up this entire criminal enterprise and part of this enterprise were these freak offs. That's not being suggested in the Jay Z case. The Jay Z case is suggesting, at least the accusation is he was at this party that P. Diddy was throwing and that there was a sexual assault that occurred and that Jay Z committed it. Completely different circumstances, completely different situation. Do I know if it could go there and something could happen? We don't know at this point. As you said, we don't know enough information about that right now. But that's a big difference. The other difference is here you talked about, should he be fearful? I would say there has to be concern. And the reason there has to be concern is. And we talked about this when we talked about the Diddy case. We talked about the idea that there were all these people involved. Even in the Jane Doe's case with Jay Z, she claims that she runs out and nobody did anything. One of the things US Attorneys said when they were doing the Diddy case was when they made that big announcement, P. Diddy has been arrested. They made. The point of our investigation is ongoing. They are not stopping. That was not the end of it. So why I think Jay Z should be concerned. He's saying he didn't do anything but. And on its face, let's assume that's the case. Why he should be concerned is being involved in the orbit. That is P. Diddy being involved in the orbit of this situation. Being involved in the orbit of the claims that Jane Doe made peaks the attention of investigators. This is just how investigators think when they. When they file a claim, when they see a claim like P. Diddy, and as expansive as that was, and they think about all the people that might have been involved or seen something or been there, they're trained to look at this and say who else might have been involved. Are there any other cases out there? So when they see this, if I'm his lawyer, I'm thinking, okay, I've got to at least make sure he's not tied into that in any way. And I've got to at least expect investigators to maybe look at, keep an ear, keep an eye on, and maybe ask questions about whether there's any intersection in this case to that case. See, it's an interesting difference there because it's not to say, oh, there's going to be a concern that he'll be involved in the Diddy criminal enterprise. It's more a concern of investigators follow the trail of whatever evidence they find and whatever they hear and whatever they see. And what you have to wonder about and worry about, I think be concerned about if you're Jay Z, is are investigators eventually going to ask questions in some way of me because of this case that's been filed against me?

[Stephen A. Smith]

As you well know, ROC Nation has a partnership deal with the National Football League to produce a Super bowl halftime show. And so naturally, when these allegations get got aimed at Jay Z, a lot of people were waiting to hear from the National Football League to see what it was going to do. And NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had this to say this week when asked about the suit, quote, we are aware of the civil allegations and Jay Z's really strong response to that. We know obviously that litigation is happening, but from our standpoint, our relationship is not changing with them, including our preparations for the next Super Bowl. End quote. Number one, from a legal perspective, how common of a position was that to receive from an entity like the NFL? And number two, what kind of effect, if any at all, do you think will have on this ongoing situation?

[Daniel Jeremiah]

So, number one, I'll admit, Stephen A. I was surprised to see that only because my sense, usually when you talk about organizations like the NFL and claims against partners who have been accused of really heinous situations is basically no comment, or we're waiting to see what happens with the evidence. That would be the first thought. Perhaps there was some sort of discussion that happened after these claims surfaced and Roger Goodell was made to feel that hey, there's nothing to see here. This is something that's going to go away. So maybe that was why they felt comfortable making that response, saying, we're going to stand by Jay Z and keep working with Roc Nation. But I got to say, I was surprised it just because usually we're used to seeing the NFL say, hey, if there's anything, even a semblance of something that could tarnish our name and our brand in any way, we're going to at least say, let's wait and see what happens here. We're going to at least say, no comment. We'll see as it comes. We'll just. We're just following whatever happens. Tell me your second question again.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I said, how will this affect it? How do you think this will affect the NFL's position with Jay Z at this particular moment in time, affect things moving forward, whether it be their relationship with him or this overall case?

[Daniel Jeremiah]

I think it's interesting when I look at this, will the NFL's relationship with him affect the processing of the case? I don't think it will affect what authorities do or what a judge might do. I think what becomes interesting in all of this is, is how does this case process based on that relationship he has with the NFL and based on what Jay Z does and has. One thing we know about Jay Z is he has a deep pocket. So. And that was part of what he brought up here, hey, just because I have money doesn't mean you can come at me for something that I'm saying I'm innocent for. But if, if you think about where maybe the Jane does lawyer is coming from, if you think about it of, hey, you've got finances. You did something, I'm coming after you. Maybe that makes him continue to press the case. Maybe that makes him continue to say, hey, I'm not giving up on this, not just for money, but more from the sense of, especially when you talk about Tony Busby, more from the sense of this is a person who says, hey, I'm fighting on behalf of the unknowns against the superstars who think they can do things and just get away with it. I'm the person who's going to bring those people to justice. So the more that Jay Z has, people stand by him, obviously for him, that's a good thing. That bolsters his claim of, hey, I've done nothing wrong in the court of public opinion. But I think for Jane Doe and her attorney, the sense is, hey, this is a person in our opinion because we believe the allegations are True. This is a person who thinks he can do what he wants and won't be held accountable. And we're not going to stop until there's accountability. I tell you, this is a complicated case where we got to wait for a lot of information to come out.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's 24 years after the fact. A lot of people have made noise about that. Doesn't mean anything because we know how often women have been victimized and how they've been reluctant to come forward. The laws have changed, society has changed. Our heightened level of sensitivity has really kicked up as well. Even in these times where I think that people are far more understanding and men have no choice but to be far more receptive to these things that women have been telling us that they have been enduring and experiencing for quite a long time, what are we to make of it being coming to light 24 years later, these allegations that they.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

Mean more to the public and to all of us now? And that's not to say they didn't mean anything before. That's to say you can even see it in the law. STEPHEN A. Based on how this we talked earlier about whether or not a case could be brought a criminal complaint. When you talk about that years ago there was a statute of limitation for certain degrees of rape. That was only five years. Those laws have been changed significantly. Now there's much more. But that's part of the problem of this case. It happened so long ago. Depending on if prosecutors took up a case, it could affect whether or not the statute of limitations applies. But even in the law, is what I'm saying, even in the law, our way of viewing cases like this has changed drastically. But in the public, I think, is where it really matters. STEPHEN A. We look at cases like this and we say people who are in power, who did bad things to others have to be held accountable. I want to say it again. That is not me saying anything about Jay Z. What that's saying is when you talk about authorities, there is not some sense of, hey, this happened 24 years ago, not a lot of evidence, nothing to see here. We're just going to move on and prosecute cases. From today. There is a real sense on behalf of law enforcement and authorities and courts and everyone to say, hey, these cases don't go away because they're old if the statute of limitations doesn't apply and they can be heard. And when you talk about investigations, this is what I thought was so interesting about the Diddy case and I think resonates throughout the entertainment industry. I think investigators are now looking at cases like this, the Diddy case and beyond, and saying when we get a sense of wrongdoing, we are not letting that go. We are not just letting that pass by and keeping an eye out for it. And will there be enough evidence? No, we're going to move on. This is we are going to doggedly pursue something where we have a good faith belief that there is a crime and it doesn't matter if it's old and it doesn't matter if it might not fit in the particular context of what you might think the crime might be on its face. We're going to look deeper, see if there's some enterprise here, see if there's something else going on. STEPHEN A. I can't even tell you, haven't been a lawyer for well over two decades. It is a massive, massive shift in the way we look at survivors of sexual assault. Massive because before I think people thought, hey, if I don't say something quickly, if I don't do something quickly, I don't have a chance. And even if I do, my name's going to be dragged to the mud. I'm going to be tortured through this entire process. Even then I might not get justice. Now, we live in a different world now. These cases are being heard. There is a sense on behalf of law enforcement, judges, others to say let's hear the evidence. Let's see what's here. Let's try to figure out the cases. And in a sense, we are way more as a society, both in the courts and in public opinion to say people who make claims are to be believed. Let us hear it. Let us figure it out and let us hear the full story.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Ryan Smith, legal analyst for ESPN abc. I'm proud to call you a colleague and a contemporary. I'm really proud of the work that you're doing. I appreciate you edifying this show and this audience or every time you come on my man. Thank you so much, man. I'll talk to you soon.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

Anytime, man. Take care.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right. The one and only Ryan Smith right here with Stephen A. Right on the Stephen A. Smith Show. Coming up, Travis Hunter takes home a whole of postseason awards ahead of the Heisman Trophy presentation this weekend. But is he a lock for the biggest individual prize in college football? I'll get into that. And Caitlin Clark acknowledges her predecessors and white privilege as she's named TIME Athlete of the Year. Those stories and more with your boy. Up next. STEPHEN A. Smith show. Don't go anywhere foreign. You know what time it is. It's Time for Stephen A. Sports Picks let's be real y'all. If there's one thing that's obvious is that I love sports. I report on it, I debate it, and of course I always enjoy watching it. It's my passion. Always has been, always will be. And that's why I've teamed up with Prize Picks to bring you my favorite sports picks each and every single week. Because Prize Picks is the largest fantasy sports platform in all the land with over 3 million members. With prize picks, you simply choose two, three or even up to six of your favorite players and then choose more or less and then project the stats for the game or contest. And now with prospects 1000 time lineup payout promotion, you have the ability to win up to 1000 times your money. It requires careful strategy, sharp picks and a six pick lineup. But that is the highest payout ever offered ever offered at Prospects. And get this, if you sign up with code SAS, Prospects will give you 50 instantly when you play your first $5 lineup. You don't need to win your lineup to receive the $50 bonus. It's guaranteed. All you have to do is play a $5 lineup on prospects and you'll get 50 DOL dollars instantly. Now let's see my winning picks. Today I'll be making picks for this Sunday's football games. First up, we've got the Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson going up against the New York Giants. More or less than 217 and a half pass yards. He's going against the New York Giants. 217 yards passes. That's a trick question. Is that a trick question? The only way he's not going to throw for more than 217 yards. He decided not to throw the ball because he can run on them all day. That's it. That's it. So I'm going to go with more as a particular answer to this question. Next up, we've got the watch to command this quarterback Jaden Daniels going up against the New York New Orleans Saints. More or less than 213 and a half passing yards is Jaden Daniels. New Orleans is done. Season's over. Not a good team. They'll be looking for a new coach after this season. Jaden Daniels and Washington trying to play for a playoff spot. I think Moore is the way to go with this one as well. Next up we have Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tungavaloa going up against the Houston Texans. More or less than 268 and a half passing yards. Houston. I still expect them to make some noise, etc. But I got to tell you something right now. I, I think TUA could put up some numbers in this game as well. I really, really do. I think that Houston's appears vulnerable. I can see this being a high scoring contest. Obviously anytime you got Tyreek Hill on the team or two plays could get you 200, you know, three plays rather get you 268 yards with that brother. So I'm gonna go with more. Finally, we've got New York giants quarterback Tommy DeVito. Not Danny DeVito, not him, Tommy DeVito going up against the Baltimore Ravens more or less than 178 and a half passing yards. I have no faith in anything associated with the Giants at this point.

[Geico Spokesperson]

I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite sized stories of missing and murdered black women and girls in America. There are several ways we can all do better at protecting black women. My contribution is shining a light on our missing sisters and amplifying their disregarded stories. Stories like Tameka Anderson. As she drove toward Galvez. She was in contact with several people talking on the phone as she made her way to what should have been a routine transaction. But Tameka never bought the car and she never returned home that day. One podcast, one Mission. Save our Girls. Join the search as we explore the chilling cases of missing and murdered black women and girls. Listen to Hunting for Answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Ryan Smith]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Stephen A. Smith]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The five families did not want us to shoot.

[Ryan Smith]

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title. And on this show we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth. From start to finish, this is really.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The first interview I've done in bed.

[Ryan Smith]

We sift through innumerable accounts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

35 pages isn't very much.

[Ryan Smith]

Many of them conflicting.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

That's nonsense.

[Ryan Smith]

There were 60 pages and try to get to the truth of what really happened.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And they said we're finished. This is over. It only is not going to work.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

You gotta get rid of those guys.

[Ryan Smith]

This is that Leave the Gun Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Caan, Talia Shire and many others.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Ryan Smith]

Listen and subscribe to leave the gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

00 I know that Baltimore's defense is suspect. I get that. But I have no faith in the New York Giants. Anything that is associated with them should be less because their value dissipates with each passing week. Okay, I'm on the verge of saying they need new ownership. It's just bad. It's just bad. There we go with less for Tommy DeVito and the New York Giants. 178 and a half pass yards. I think that's entirely too much when it comes to him. That's just where I'm at with it. Either way you slice it, it's more, more, more and less. That's three out of four. That ain't bad. Matter of fact, it's pretty damn good. That's what prospects brings you. Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith Show. Let me get into some sports headlines in a moment. All right, that's what I plan on doing. But I want to start by addressing my brother Kenny Smith over at tnt. Kenny the Jetsman. That's my dog right there. Kenny and I'll be going head to head supposedly in Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon in a free throw shooting contest ahead of the Emirates NBA cup semifinals. Now, we all know Kenny Smith is a two time NBA champion and a sharpshooter. So he decided to handicap the event and shoot his free throws with his left hand. I want you to know I feel this is so disrespectful. This is so disrespectful to me. I mean, the man is just disrespecting me, okay? But it's all right because you see, ladies and gentlemen, first of all, it's all in fun. That's my brother right there. His big brother, Vincent Smith was the one that trained me and helped me get a basketball scholarship to Winston Salem State. Kenny Smith's family and myself go back a very, very long ways. It's my brother from another mother. I love him to death, but he was disrespectful. He really, really was disrespectful. Now, damn it, I ain't no damn NBA player. Hell, I wasn't even a college player as far as I'm concerned because I was too damn injury prone. But the bottom line is I ain't no scrubbing up. I can play, I can damn sure shoot. And to sit up there and talk about he's gonna hurt me left handed. I'm like, damn, he had to come at me like that. That wasn't really, really nice, you know, But I see what he's doing here. You see, let's get down to the nitty gritty. Shaq was reluctant to go against me in a free throw contest for obvious reasons. David shoot 60 of free throws for 55 of free throws of his career. We understand that. He's not a free throw shooter. All right, Chuck, you know, that's my man right there. He's been supportive of me, so I'm not gonna go at him. Even though I saw him breathing heavy the other day. It's all right. It's okay, Kenny. You know, the TNT crew is the creme de la creme. They're the elite, and I'm honored to be joining them tomorrow afternoon before we do NBA Countdown on ESPN. Saturday night, I got to be there with them 3:30pm Eastern time, live in Vegas. I'm just wondering, why the hell is it limited to free throw shooting?

[Daniel Jeremiah]

Why?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Why don't we just have a shooting contest? Since you want to. Since you want to be all big, bad and bold, why we got to go to the free throw line? We are. Why can't we go to the wing? Why can't we go to the corners? Why can't we shoot beyond the three point line? Ain't nobody scared, Caddy. Anybody scared? You understand? I ain't gotta play against you. You understand? Everybody teasing you about your knobbies, whatever. I don't do that because I know you, the Jet. I know you a bad brother. You understand? You bust my ass all day, every day in a game, but just to shoot the ball. I mean, why are we limiting ourselves to free throw? Free throw. Ain't nobody scared. Ain't nobody scared. I'm good. I'm good with it. What's up? That's what I want to say. I ain't asking Chuck and. And Shaq the same because we know better. Y'all. Y'all know what time that is? All right, Ernie Johnson. I ain't messing with you. You the Godfather, my brother. I love you to death, Ernie. Probably slay all of us, but Kenny. I see you. I see you Saturday. Saturday. I'll be there. I will be there. Now let me move on. Let's get to some of the sports headlines, real sports headlines. I want to begin with Thursday Night Football. Last night in San Francisco, the Los Angeles Rams came into town and essentially ended the Niner season, beating them 12 to six. But the biggest headline of the night was what we saw from the niners linebacker group, specifically devondre Campbell. Campbell was asked to enter the game after two starters, Drew Dre Greenlaw and Dee Winters, were dealing with injuries. Campbell refused to enter the game and then eventually left the field during the fourth quarter. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the plan was for Campbell to enter the game after Greenlaw went down with knee soreness. As mentioned, Campbell refused to play and left the field and the team leaving the locker room fuming afterwards. Here's what nine is quarterback, cornerback Javarius Ward said after the game, quote, he's a professional. He's been playing for a long time. If he didn't want to play, he shouldn't have dressed out. He could have told them that before the game. I feel like that was some sucker that he did. It definitely hurt the team. D went down and we needed a linebacker. So for him to do that, that's some sucker stuff to me. In my opinion, he's probably going to get cut soon. So it is what it is, ladies and gentlemen. Had that been me, he'd have been cut by the time he got out the shower. And that's assuming we'd have let him in the shower. If he had walked off the field, I'd have made sure he was no longer a member of the team before he left that damn locker room. It's one of the most egregious things if you don't want to play, ladies and gentlemen. He could have refused to dress for the game. People would have said, yo, that's business. That's what comes with it. We understand you might have been a bit salty about it or whatever, but never something like this. Understand the magnitude of what devondre Campbell did. He's on the sideline in uniform, dressed to play, and not one but two of his teammates go down and they go to him, who's a former all pro, by the way, and he refused to enter the game and then walked off the field. This is in the middle of the game. This is in the third quarter. There is nothing on the planet that he can say to a player to justify doing that. We're not players and we know how effed up that is. That is the epitome of leaving a soldier on the field, in the field of battle. That is the epitome of abandoning your teammates. That is the epitome of selling out. It is unforgivable. His career may be in jeopardy because of this and no one will defend him. You see the way George Kittle talked about him? You see the way Javarius Ward talked about Him. You think they're the only two that feel that way? Let me tell you something. He's lucky he heard that. Because you know what's more conspicuous, what's most palpable, what's more riveting than their words? You see those words right there By George Kittle. I don't like distractions on the sideline. I think that's ignorant and I think it's just dumb. It's just stupid, and it's very immature. I just don't see how you could do something like that to your team. It's one person making a selfish decision. I've never been around anybody that's ever done that, and I hope I'm never around anybody who does that again. That's George Kittle. It's an all pro tight end. Do you understand that? What he did, where it's really going to be riveting is with silence. See, those brothers spoke. 99 of the league is going to look at him and be like, man, I don't want that dude, as my team ain't got nothing to say to him. They're gonna have the Kyle Shanahan approach in the postseason. In the post a postgame news conference last night where he said, why are we talking about him? He's. That's history. In other words, he's done. It's over. It's over. You can't blame Kyle Shanahan. I don't care what could. You can say whatever you want. Not before the game. Is one thing to dress in uniform for the game to be ongoing and then for you to quit and walk into the locker room by refusing to enter the game when called upon in the middle of the game is unforgivable. It's unforgivable. Maybe somebody will forgive him, but I doubt it. Listen up, y'all. I love football. There's nothing like being in the middle of the action at a football game, being surrounded by fans. Explosive cheers as the running back carries the ball into the end zone for that winning touchdown. You can't get that type of energy from your couch. You gotta be at the stadium to get the full effect. And there's no better way to make that happen than to purchase a ticket from the GameTime ticketing app. You see, see, GameTime has a new feature called GameTime Picks that makes it easier to get tickets to see your favorite team play live. Gametime Picks saves you time by searching through thousands of tickets to only show you incredible deals on great seats. There's so many ways to save money on tickets no matter when you buy, even on those last minute purchases. That's right. Gametime has deals on tickets right up to the start of the event, even an hour after it starts. And gametime Picks is not just for sporting events. They make getting tickets for all events even easier. GameTime Picks has an exclusive sponsored deal for concerts, comedy, theater and more. And because gametime is all about the fans, they're committed to ensuring you have a great ticket buying experience when purchasing tickets from them. They've got your back. With gametime ticket coverage and a flexible customer service policy. It includes lowest price guarantee, event cancellation protection, 24 hour returns guarantee, job loss assurance, and on time ticket delivery. You can buy with confidence knowing your purchase is covered by gametime ticket coverage. So take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime Picks. Download the Game GameTime app, create an account and use the code SAS for $20 off your first purchase terms. Apply. Again, create an account and redeem code SAS for $20 off download game Time today what time is it? Game time. Let's get to some quick hitters in the headlines and I want to start with Caitlin Clark. All right, the Indiana Fever star was named Time Magazine's Athlete of the Year earlier this week and she took time to acknowledge that race played the role in her success this year. Here's a passage from the article in Times Magazine. Quote I want to say I've earned every single thing, but as a white person there is privilege. A lot of those players in the league that have been really good have been black players. This league has been kind of been built on them. The more we can appreciate that, highlight that talk about that. I think it's very important I have to continue to try to change that. The more we can elevate black women, that's going to be a beautiful thing. End quote. You see why I had no problem with her being Tom's Athlete of the Year. You see why I said that she should have been on Team usa. You see why I had to go off on the likes of Cheryl Swoops and others who were clearly distant and dismiss and dismissive of her. No matter how much they try to deny it, there was resentment towards her. And here's why I said it was stupid. Because when she came into the, in the into the WNBA for 22 plus years they had been flying commercial. They would begging for chartered flights. She arrives there and two weeks later they got chartered flights. She automatically and instantaneously improved the conditions. Attendance is still lagging. WNBA is still losing money compared to what you would hope it would earn. But clearly things are on an upward. On an upward trending trajectory. It's improving and she has everything to do with it. Attendance for Indiana Fever games. Are you kidding me? Mw. NBA draft games on abc, espn, television ratings. She's directly responsible and people were resenting her for it, like she was the cause of the problems that they had for the lack of recognition. No, she just happened to be born white. That's it. Caitlyn Clark hasn't spoken against anybody. She hasn't assisted in denying anybody else the privileges they deserve. If anything, she's tried to provide assistance. A rising tide lifts all boats. She's trying to be the rising tide that lifts the boats. And there was sisters resentful of her. Be resentful of the system. Be resentful of the folks, primarily the white folks, who basically disenfranchised y'all all of these years before she came along, who denied you the acclaim and the allure and the profits you richly deserved. But you don't take that out on Caitlin Clark, not her. She's the one that assists you. When black folks was marching during the civil rights era and fighting every battle they possibly could, they weren't dismissive, nor did they assist in denigrating the white people who marched with them. They saved the venom for those who wouldn't. You don't run away from people who support you. You run to them, especially when they're in a better position than you to help you. But it still seems like people are slow rolling their way to a form of progressive thinking that enables them to appreciate the Caitlin Clarks of the world instead of resenting her. Which means, as always, no matter how far we've come, we still have a ways to go. Quick hitter number two takes us to Tempe, Arizona, where Bronnie James played in his first road game for the South Bay Lakers and had a career night. The Lakers rookie scored A game high 30 points in 13 of 23 shooting as the South Bay Lakers fell to the Valley Suns.106.100. Bronnie, who was the 55th pick in the NBA Draft, is now averaging 14 points, three and a half rebounds and 2.5 assists in four games in the G League. I'm just happy he got action. I'm just happy that he showed up on a road game and got reps in the whole LeBron James, Bronnie James things is done. Now it's about Bronnie James earning his stripes and participating against that lesser competition and busting there. You know what to show that he deserves to be in the NBA. Because even though people gonna hate no matter what, the legitimacy of their arguments are going to dissipate drastically once you continue to show out like that. Once you continue to show that you belong like you started showing last night, congratulations to Bronnie James. But keep it up. It's a marathon, baby. It ain't a sprint. And nobody is in a better position to know that than your father who is on the Mount Rushmore basketball, one of the all time greats. LeBron ain't perfect. And I'm one of the first to point out his imperfections on a basketball court, of course, nowhere else. But let me tell you something. He's an all time great. He's never cheated the game. And that brother works his tail off to improve all the time. Emulate Pops to the best of your ability, and you'll be just fine. For our last quick hit, I want to give major props to Travis Hunter of the Colorado Buffaloes. Hunter, who's a favorite to win the Heisman this weekend, last night at the 34 Fourth Annual College Football Award show on ESPN, took home four, count them, four big awards. He won the Associated Press Football Player of the year, receiving 26 of 43 votes Thursday from a panel of AP top 25 voters. In addition to that, he also won a Walter Camp Award as Player of the year, along with the Chuck Benarek Award as a top defensive player. And finally, Hunter won the Balitnikov Award that honors the best wide receiver in the country. He clearly should win the Heisman, that kid from Boise State. That running back ain't no joke, though. But I'm Travis Hunter all day, every day. No question that he deserves the Heisman, and I hope he gets it. I'm proud of him. 4.0 GPA, special kid, special talent, great head on his shoulders, wishing him nothing but the best. He really deserves it. I'm really happy for him. But let's not stop there. Close the deal. Give that brother the Heisman. He's earned it. Coming up, a bombshell report reveals the FBI had more than two dozen confidential informants in the crowd during the raid on the Capitol on January 6th. What does it all mean? I'll get into that. This is Stephen A. Smith Show. Don't go anywhere. Listen up, y'all. I have an important announcement you need to know about here at the Stephen A. Smith Show. We're here to win, and that's why we've partnered with Prizepix, America's number one fantasy app to help turn all your big time sports knowledge into some big time cash. You see, with prize picks, you choose two, three or even up to six of your favorite players and then choose more or less on their projected stats for the game or contest. You like Josh Allen? Pick him. You like Cooper Cup? Pick him too. You think Jaylen Brown's gonna go off? Then pick all three. It only takes 60 seconds to make your picks, you know. And because it's December, that means it is now Piximas as prize picks. So stay on the lookout this holiday season for free picks, discounts and free lineups all month long. Like this week's Patrick Mahomes free Pick. That's right. Jump into the prospects board and find a Patrick Mahomes 0.5 passing yards projection for the Chiefs Dec. 15 class against the Cleveland Browns. The free pick is live now and a 0.5 yard projection will be available until kickoff in the Chief game on December 15th. And get this sign up with code SAS and Prospects will give you $50 instantly when you play your first $5 lineup. You don't need to win your lineup to receive the $50 bonus. It's guaranteed. All you have to do is play a $5 lineup on prospects and you'll get $50 instantly. Prize picks pick more, pick less. It's really that easy.

[Geico Spokesperson]

I'm Hunter, host of Hunting for Answers on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Join me every weekday as I share bite sized stories. Stories of missing and murdered Black women and girls in America. There are several ways we can all do better at protecting Black women. My contribution is shining a light on our missing sisters and amplifying their disregarded stories. Stories like Tameka Anderson. As she drove toward Galvez, she was in contact with several people talking on the phone as she made her way to what should have been a routine transaction. But Tameka never bought the car and she never returned home that day. One podcast, one Mission. Save our Girls. Join the search as we explore the chilling cases of missing and murdered Black women and girls. Listen to Hunting for Answers every weekday on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm Mark Seale.

[Ryan Smith]

And I'm Nathan King.

[Stephen A. Smith]

This is Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli. The five families did not want us to shoot that picture.

[Ryan Smith]

Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli is based on my co host Mark's best selling book of the same title. And on this show we call upon his years of research to help unpack the story behind the Godfather's birth from start to finish.

[Stephen A. Smith]

This is really the first interview I've done in bed.

[Ryan Smith]

We sift through innumerable accounts. 35 pages isn't very much, many of them conflicting.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

That's nonsense.

[Ryan Smith]

There were 60 pages and try to get to the truth of what really happened.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And they said we're finished. This is over. It only stop going to work.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

Try to get rid of those guys.

[Ryan Smith]

It's that Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli features new and archival interviews with Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Evans, James Kahn, Talia Shire and many others.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

Yes, that was a real horse's head.

[Ryan Smith]

Listen and subscribe to Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith Show. I want to get into some politics before we get on out of here as we've now entered the final month of Joe Biden's presidency, and for the sake of argument, it hasn't been a good one. The Democrats lost the White House, Senate and House in the November election. Meanwhile, this week, FBI Director Christopher Wray announced plans to resign at the end of the Biden administration as President elect Donald Trump takes office in January. The news comes amidst a bombshell report from the Justice Department that revealed the FBI had at least 26 confidential informants on the ground when the Capitol was stormed on January 6, 2021. The report says most of the informants engaged in illegal activity during the chaos. The justice department says only three of its 26 informants present had been instructed to observe potential domestic terrorist suspects on the day of the riot. The rest of the 23 appear to have gone to the Capitol on their own accord. Upon hearing news of the report, Vice President elect J.D. vance posted the following on for those keeping score at home, this was labeled a dangerous conspiracy theory months ago, end quote. So 23 folks for the FBI were in the crowd and we're just finding that out. Didn't hear anything about that for the election. Didn't hear anything about that when the quote unquote insurrection was broached by Vice President Kamala Harris as a Democratic nominee, by President Biden before her by Democrats in both the House and the Senate as they articulated the belief that Donald Trump was a danger to democracy and using this as a profound, illuminating bully bullet point to make that case. And now here we are yet again finding even more evidence to Donald Trump's claims when he articulated that process is rigged, the Democrats are this or that they're talking about us. But look at what they do. We don't know all the details. It's a report. Justice Department comes out with this. That's not my big issue. My big issue is that I'm really, really sick and tired of every time I turn around finding something else that the Democrats have lied about or downplayed or misrepresented along the way. Where's the one and a half billion dollars that was given to the Democratic Party? Where is it? Where the money go? Why was Oprah giving two and a half million? Why was Al Sharpton's National Action Network given that much money before interviews, by the way? Why? I think it was 500k for the national Action Network. Why? I want to be clear. I don't have any problem with the National Action Network taking that money because they don't have a lot of money. I have more of a problem with Oprah taking two and a half million when she's worth over a billion.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

But.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Speaking to us as if her heart and soul was so immersed in supporting Kamala Harris. Well, then why didn't you do it for free? I'm just asking. I'm just asking these things because I think it's important, and I think that the time has arrived where we have to stop letting stuff go all the time, particularly when it comes to the left. I mean, I see Republicans like Megyn Kelly or Officer Tatum or Candace Owens or, you know, Deshaun Hannity's of the World. You know what I'm getting tired of? I'm getting. You know what I'm getting to the Democratic Party. You know what I'm getting really pissed off about? I'm getting really ticked off at every time they open their mouth about something pertaining to y'all. They seem right. I would love to argue with Sean Hannity. How can I? Do you know what Sean Hannity used to do to me? When I told him Kamala Harris had a chance, he'd laugh. Like, literally, genuinely giggle. He'd go on TV and put on his straight face to y'all. You gotta be concerned. Selection could go either way. He laughed. He wasn't concerned about her. Before I called out Biden, he was calling Biden sleepy. Joe, what's percolating on social media today? Just go and look at it, y'all. Joe Biden is caught napping at an African summit in Angola. For at least a full minute, they didn't say whether he was snoring or not. That's about all that was missing. But he was clearly sleep. I'm not going to pardon my son. I want to say for the record, I have no problem with him pardoning. Pardoning Hunter Biden. I had a problem with him trying to act like it was unjust what was being done in pursuit of getting after my son because they wanted to get to me. All you had to say was, I'm pardoning my son because he's my son. You couldn't just say that, though. You know why you couldn't say that, President Biden? Because you had been telling us you. It was the last thing that you were. You were. You were going to do. And why did you say that? Why did Kareem Jean Pierre remember how she said, he will absolutely not pardon his son? It's all over social media right now. They kept saying it. It's everywhere. How many times did the Democrats tell us, no one's above the law. No one's above the law. No one's above the law. Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeff, Elizabeth Warren, who makes you feel like your soul is going to hell if you don't agree to. With her. Inconsistency after inconsistency after inconsistency. We can argue policies, we can argue politics all day long. But the Democrats worked really, really diligently to make the case that the right had a monopoly on insidious evil tendencies, corrupt tendencies, duplicitous, hypocritical, untruthful tendencies. And every time they made those accusations, we turn around and find out that at least some of them are guilty of the same. I don't know about y'all, but I'm sick of all of it. I'm sick of all of it. They've actually made Donald Trump look like he was right instead of them. Think about that. He didn't just get to raise his fist on election night as a victor. He's been raising it every night ever since for one different issue after another that he keeps winning because he keeps highlighting what they lied about. I'm sick of it. I have nothing to say. Enjoy your weekend. I gotta get to Vegas for the Emirate cup semifinals in the National Basketball Association. And outside of that, I'm just sick of all of this, and I'm sick of a lot of people, so I'm just gonna shut up for the rest of the weekend. Y'all have a nice night.

[Greg Rosenthal]

What's up, everyone? It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're going to be bringing you 40s and free agents the only podcast you'll need this NFL draft season. From DJs mock drafts to my top 101, free agents will have it covered for you with all new episodes every Thursday keeping you up to date as we head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting on March 6th on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Stephen A. Smith]

What's up everyone?

[Daniel Jeremiah]

Julie Swerbinks here along with former NHL player Nate Thompson. We're doing a new podcast together. Here we go. The name Energy Line with Nate and jsb. Each week we'll get together and talk about hockey life. All topics are fair game, right?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Right, Exactly.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

And you'll never know who will drop by to join us. Julie is pretty well connected. She has text threads going that you wouldn't believe. Listen to Energy Line with Nate and.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Jsb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts.

[Daniel Jeremiah]

Or wherever you get your podcast.