Torre (15:43)

See?

Stephen A. Smith (15:44)

See, they're lying. I've often joked about people like Sean Hannity and other conservatives that I know that if you are a Republican and you shot somebody in broad daylight on Fifth Avenue in New York City, the first words that would come out of their mouth is the Democrats did it first. Because their real salty position is not about acting like they're holier than thou. It's about the Democrats always acting like they're on a higher moral ground and they're above board when one evidence, nugget of evidence after another always comes forth showing us they're not. That is frustrating for somebody who doesn't know all the facts and intricate details and studies this night and day, like Roland Martin. Everybody's. Everybody's industry or chosen profession isn't following what's happening on Capitol Hill and everything associated with it. People working nine to fives taking care of families, getting stuck in traffic for two hours a day, preoccupied with an abundance of other things, relying on others to give them information, but also frustrated that everybody's got a spin. That's all I was saying. I didn't take a definitive position against anybody into perpetuity. I'm simply making the point that it gets frustrating to see little nuggets of intel always leaking out, usually after the fact, incriminating one side or the other. All the damn time. And Roland Lamar will come up with his facts and he'll spew them out for the world to know. That doesn't erase the perception and roll them on. You know this better than me, bruh. Perceptions provoke people's attitude while they walk to the polls, even more so than the facts. It's not that the facts don't matter, but that they always seem so debatable. Ultimately, it comes back to how you feel. Am I clear enough? B. Am I convoluted? Now, fellas, ladies, I'm a frustrated voter. I watched the Democrats get their ass kicked. I watched them in the aftermath of the election literally say, well, Trump really didn't win the popular vote. I mean, he didn't get 50% of the vote. Who. Who cares? He won the popular vote. He won the Electoral College vote. He won all the swing states. He increased in practically every demographic. And you got people coming on the airways. Well, it really wasn't a referendum against the Democratic Party, because you know what? He didn't get 50% of the vote. He didn't get 50% of the popular vote. Really? They got the White House. The House and the Senate. I was speaking macro. I was just saying, hey, yet another thing that they can point to to stake some claim to how they've been victimized by the hands of the left. Are they probably lying, Some of them? Yeah, sure. But what are the Democrats doing? The Democrats. They're for the working class. They're for the working class. They're for the working class. Well, the working class doesn't feel that way. Then after the election, we're hearing some Democrats go out there and they're talking about how too many people in the party are about catering to the elite. Well, that's what they were accusing the Republicans of doing. You see how confusing it gets? Not for you, Roland. You might know. What about your million and a half subscribers? They know. What about your boys? They know. What about people that walk through the streets throughout America? Cause you roaming around all over the damn place. They know. If they know so much, Roland, why were you determined for Trump's lies not to be heard? If they know so much, Roland, because they listening to you, why were you so fixated on standing right there in the audience? And whenever Trump spoke, you came on this show and you said you were going to stand up and scream lies. If they know because they listening to you and other folks who think like you and know what you know, then you wouldn't have to worry about doing that, because they would have consumed your message. And they would know he's lying, wouldn't they? You know better. And you know that most people are frustrated citizens who vote, who are mindful of the times that we're living in and want finite, definitive evidence about which side is right and which side is wrong with no convolution in the equation. And when reports like the DOJ comes out, talking about the FBI on January 6th and parsing words like they weren't intentionally inaccurate, well, why the hell add the word intentionally? You were accurate or you were inaccurate. Where the hell intentional comes from? That's a perception, that's an opinion. That's not a fact. That's a report that said they weren't intentionally inaccurate. How can you prove somebody wasn't intentionally inaccurate? That is a thought. It's just me. I know you know what you're talking about in politics. I know what I'm talking about in sports. I just thought that as two common sense people, we could relate to one another feeling frustrated on either side. See you all the way left, in my opinion. I'm center. I see bullshit on both sides. I know you do, too. Better than me. The difference is you care a lot more about one side. I don't give a shit about either. I just want as close to the truth as I can get to elevate my level of understanding. I am sorry, Roland Martin, if that was such a bad thing, that would get you so riled up that not only did you have to come at me, you had to throw on a cowboy hat to do it. But I liked seeing it on you, bro. It looked good on you, your panel. It is what it is. That's all I got to say about that. I hope I provided some clarity. I was just frustrated at the right having something in their mind to point to the left about again and the left seemingly slipping up on providing the ammunition because of the timing of the report coming out and whatever potential role they may or may not have played, I just thought it added fodder and fuel to a side that is already kicking the lefts behind right now. That's all. I wasn't trying to be specific. I was just expressing frustration as a conscientious observer, not an expert like you. Bro, I know my lane. Coming up, Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and his girlfriend are making headlines defending their relationship to the public on social media. I got a few thoughts on that. But first, someone wants to get at me about my take that people celebrating the murder of the United Healthcare CEO is despicable. The one and only Torre joins the show. That's next right here on the stage. Stephen A. Smith show. Don't go away. Okay, everybody, you know what time it is. It's time for Stephen A. Sports Picks. Do you all know how much I love this time of year? Not only is it the holiday season, but every time I turn around, there's a game happening. Professional football, college football and NBA action. It doesn't stop. And with all those games going on, we want you to cash in on the big time action. And that's why I've teamed up with Prize Picks, 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 on their projected stats for the game or contest. And now with the Prize Picks live squares option, you can even place mid game picks on full game projections. That's right. You can now pick a player's game projection after their game has started. Just look for a red light indicator on the squares in the app during a live game. And if you sign up now with code SAS, Prize Picks 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. You know it's guaranteed. All you have to do is play a $5 lineup of prize picks and you'll get $50 instantly. Now let's see my winning picks. Today I'll be making picks for this Thursday's NFL game with the Denver Broncos facing the Los Angeles Chargers. First up, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert going up against the Broncos defense more or less than 231 and a half passing yards easily. I'm going with more. This is Justin Herbert. Now they stunk up the joint last week. Okay. Got the ass kicked. That was pretty embarrassing. I don't expect that to happen two weeks in a row to Justin Herbert. I think he's going to throw for more than 231 and a half yards. We're going with more on this one. All right, next up, Bronco signal caller Bo Nix. More or less than 223 and a half passing yards. You seen the way this kid's been playing. You see the way the Denver Broncos have been playing. You see the job that Sean Payton has done pushing Russell Wilson out the door, having a rookie and Bo Nicks playing the way that he's playing you Damn right I'm going with more. Bo Nix can play, okay. And he's showing he can play and obviously with Sean Payton as his coach, they're going to go a long way eventually, I believe. I like Bo Nix a lot. I'm going with more on this one. Next up, we have Broncos wide out Cortland Sutton going up against the Chargers secondary more or less than 63 and a half receiving yards. Because Bo Nix is going to throw the football, obviously that's going to be a primary target of him. I'm definitely going with more with Courtland Sutton on this question. And finally, charges receiver Quinton Johnston facing the Broncos defense more or less than 441 and a half receiving yards. It shouldn't be too much to ask for Justin Herbert to get the ball to Quentin Johnston for more than 41 and a half yards. I'm going with more on this as well. So let's go back and review the list right here once and for all, everybody. Quincen Johnson more. Justin Herbert more. Courtland Sutton more. Bo Nicks More. More. More, more, more, more. That's what we like to do as prize picks. Why? Because we're looking to put more in your pocket.

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Stephen A. Smith (28:37)

Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith show. My next guest is a veteran music and pop culture journalist who hosts the popular Torre show. He's back to discuss the case of Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson. We're also going to touch on Sean Diddy Combs in just a second as well. You know how that involves whether or not that involves rapper Jay Z. We'll get into all of that. The one and only Tor Ray is here with me right now. What's going on, man? How are you? How's everything?

Torre (29:03)

I'm good. Tell them about my show. Rap latte. On YouTube, we talk about hip hop every day. We keep it real.

Stephen A. Smith (29:08)

Rap latte. I mean, that's right. Every day, right? Is it five days a week?

Torre (29:11)

Well, we're good. We're ramping up the five days a week. But we're on. We're on like four days now. But it's, you know, YouTube business. We're doing it out here.

Stephen A. Smith (29:18)

That's right. You deserve it. You deserve it. But. But that's not what you here to talk about today. Because I'm here thinking there's a lot of things you could have talked to me about. I couldn't believe when my staff reached out to me and said Torre wants to come back on the show because I had the audacity to unmitigated gall to call this good. Luigi Mangione. I said, if that is him, he is guilty of cold blooded murder. Shooting Brian Thompson, the former CEO of United Healthcare. I mean, shooting him in the back, murdering him. This is not somebody that should be celebrated. And I'm hearing for that reason Torre wanted to come on the show and talk to me about it. What could there possibly talk about?

Torre (29:58)

I felt like you were kind of scolding us, the masses for seeing value in Luigi and what he did. I felt like not only you, but there was a lot of high level media people. Chris Cuomo, Ashley Banfield, Sarah Haynes at the View. I could go on and on. Gayle King, who were scolding us, saying we should not root for this person, we should not respect this person. He right, you, you already said what's wrong with that blooded murderer?

Stephen A. Smith (30:26)

He's a cold blooded murderer, is he not?

Torre (30:29)

I think that that is accurate, but I also think that we have to. We cannot have a conversation about Luigi without talking about what Brian Thompson and United Health Hair kept doing. And the murders, plural, that they have been responsible for for many, many years. And I'm not even talking about the uninsured. I'm talking about the insured who they turn their back on, they betray. And I also mean deny claims from a third of their claims, right? So we're talking about people who are getting, who need life saving help and United Healthcare is not there for them, saying like, well, you know, that person has cancer. If we don't give them help, they're gonna die and then we won't have to pay their bills. This is a large part of how they make their money. So we cannot have any conversation about Luigi unless we're also talking about the thousands and thousands of deaths that Brian and UnitedHealthcare are on the hook for. So now, from that perspective, things are a lot different, right? It's not just one person committed cold blooded murder, which he did. He laid. He laid in wait for him. He decided to kill him. He clear. I mean, it's a political murder, right? He's trying to make a political statement about this company that has been harmful.

Stephen A. Smith (31:45)

Come on.

Torre (31:46)

To Americans.

Stephen A. Smith (31:47)

Come on, Torre. You got, you got to be kidding. Really say that? Listen, listen, first of all, let me say this. I saw D.L. hughley on social media talking about this and I took it and I reposted it because I wanted everybody to see what he had to say. Under no circumstances am I absolving any health care CEO who has engaged in such practices of.

Torre (32:12)

They all have.

Stephen A. Smith (32:13)

Which they. That's where I was going with this. They all have. Because we live in a capitalistic society and people trying to get as much money as they can. So they're trying to get as much as your money and give you the least in return. We lament that with every, practically every business right now. I think that's right. But I don't think anybody will refuse that. I don't think anybody would.

Torre (32:30)

But it's different. But it's different when Coca Cola is watering down the Coca Cola a little bit to give you 95% Coca Cola instead of 100% versus a health care company saying we're going to deny your claims so that we can make more money.

Stephen A. Smith (32:45)

But listen to what I'm saying. I get that. But my point to you is this, this was some middle class dude or well, to do, who did, who wasn't from, who wasn't some impoverished dude, some member of a disenfranchised community.

Torre (32:59)

It doesn't matter.

Stephen A. Smith (33:00)

Hear my point. Hear My point, and then I'll give you an opportunity to respond. My point is he wasn't that dude. So when he's speaking to such things, we don't know how much, how close he is to a situation like this, how this has hit them home. I'm saying there are some people out there who just want to murder and find any excuse that they could get away with Tory to do it.

Torre (33:22)

Yeah. That's the point that I'm trying to make. Do you.

Stephen A. Smith (33:25)

Do you.

Torre (33:25)

Do you think that white people had no place during slavery to be abolitionists, even though they were not slaves? Of course not. Do you think that men don't have a place to argue for women to have the right to choose what they do with their bodies?

Stephen A. Smith (33:38)

Of course. Right.

Torre (33:40)

You don't have to be. You don't have to be specifically within the group to fight for the political rights of that. I'm not saying that to say that.

Stephen A. Smith (33:48)

I'm saying no.

Torre (33:49)

But you said Luigi came from money, so he can't have. No, we have no idea what he went through. His back surgery and his back issues were clearly a very deep part of his identity. He had a photograph of his X ray of his back on his Instagram page. Right, Right. That's one of his bio photographs. So that is clearly a huge part of his identity and how he sees himself. He went through an insane personal situation that we don't even know the depths of with his back and his back surgery and clearly dealing with insurance companies as part of this. This is a class warfare issue. But it's not the rich against the poor. It's the people against the corporations that damage our lives. Even though he has money, he still is dealing with situation from the health care people that he's so enraged that he does something. Most of us look at that and say, I wouldn't have done it, but I understand. And that's the core of the issue. He is but a player in this. When you see the country respond positively over 41% and supportively to what he did, what we have to say is not you shouldn't feel that way, but why does everyone agree with what he did?

Stephen A. Smith (35:00)

Well, timeout, timeout. First of all, 41% ain't everybody. That's number one.

Torre (35:05)

No.

Stephen A. Smith (35:05)

Number two.

Torre (35:06)

No, that's 41. No, that's 41% of under 30s.

Stephen A. Smith (35:09)

Okay, that's 41. You're right.

Torre (35:11)

Tremendous amount of agreement.

Stephen A. Smith (35:13)

Totally total. 17%. 41% under the age of 30. 30 to 39 yield that applied for 20.

Torre (35:19)

Not 17. It's not 17. I'll tell you that right now. In the real world, it's not 17%.

Stephen A. Smith (35:25)

Well, that's what they put out there. Way more than that. That's what they put out there. But I got it. Just for the purposes of this discussion. Discussion. We'll go with that for the moment. All I'm trying to say to you is this. I don't disagree with your premise. I'm for that. But in the same breath, what I'm saying is, considering the time and the divisive times that we live in, you don't think it's dangerous for people to be out there applauding somebody being murdered. Now, I understand that you're saying that they're not necessarily applauding that. It's the system taking advantage of the little guy. You're a health insurance agency. You're corporate America, and you're abusing the American citizen. I got that part. Shit, I'm one of them. My point to you is this. I still can't sit up there when I see a man get shot in the back, gunned down. Gunned down in the streets, shot in the back, murdered wife's a widower, children no longer a father, and think that that's a cause for celebration. I'm saying, is there not something to be concerned about that in our society?

Torre (36:22)

I think that you are not yet understanding the moral stakes that we're actually seeing. Let's say you saw somebody murder a serial killer. Would you say, oh, my God, he was a son and a father?

Stephen A. Smith (36:34)

No.

Torre (36:34)

No, you'd say, thank God somebody took him off the earth.

Stephen A. Smith (36:37)

Right?

Torre (36:37)

There is no serial killer that you could name who is responsible for more deaths than United Healthcare. So now Luigi took it on himself to bring pain to the head of United Healthcare because he saw them as serial killers. And if you see them as legalized serial killers, which they are allowed to betray their customers to make a buck, well, then the moral stakes are completely different. He didn't just murder a person walking down the street. He murdered the tip of the spear to send a message to the entire industry?

Stephen A. Smith (37:12)

And so you're okay with that? What if the mindset is that's just the first one? What about the people that had posters out there with the faces and names of other healthcare CEOs, and they had Brian Thompson's face on there with an X over it, like one down and these others to go. Is that okay?

Torre (37:33)

What's not okay is for the conversation to become about the rage that we have towards CEOs, as if that is the central part of the conversation. The central part of the conversation is how the health care industry is allowed to betray its customers and allow them to die and be in pain and be sick so that they can make a buck. We need far greater regulation on the health care system. That is the core issue in this conversation. And if we miss that, then we miss an opportunity to make change in an incredibly important industry in our country.

Stephen A. Smith (38:09)

Well, first of all, let me say this. I completely agree with you. That's an issue that we shouldn't miss. I'm not arguing with that. I'm just talking about the danger that exists from the other side. Because listen, health care is one issue. There's plenty of things that we can look at in the system that exists within the United States where regulations need to be altered to some degree, things need to be addressed. The system continuously takes advantage of the American citizen, et cetera, et cetera. There's an abundance of things that we can look at. But our answer to it, if it's going to be violence, and that's okay, what kind of society does that say that? Does it say that we have waiting down the pipe for us?

Torre (38:51)

We're not saying that we live in a civilized or peaceful American society, right? Like we are awash in guns and violence. We just had a female school shooter. Like, we're breaking new grounds. We have DEI in school shooting now. Like we have school shooters that are constant. We have all kinds of violence. Don't get me even started on state sponsored violence. The police and the military and the sort of things that we're allowed. I mean, we are constantly dealing with things in a violent way. So we are not a peaceful or civilized society by any stretch. Obviously, I do not think that everybody should handle their disagreement with the healthcare industry in this way. But this conversation cannot devolve into that young man should not have killed somebody. Obviously he should not have killed somebody. But even more important, the healthcare industry must be reined in and the way that it is allowed to behave legally in a completely immoral way. That is the core of this conversation.

Stephen A. Smith (39:51)

Completely immoral way. So in other words, in the society that we're living in right now, when you're trying. Listen, I agree with you. The way you broke it down, I agree with you. There's no disagreement here. I'm just making the argument that could be an issue no matter where you turn to. You're isolating the issue of healthcare because obviously that's a very profound thing. One's Health, obviously, your livelihood, your quality of life, et cetera, et cetera, it's all affected by your health. I don't give a damn how much money you have. If your health ain't good, you ain't good. You can't enjoy the fruit of your labor. I understand that part, but other people with that mindset, it might translate to anything far removed from health care. Just because they feel like they're getting taken advantage of by the system, that may be a cause for them to engage in such heinous acts. And we can't ignore that either.

Torre (40:40)

Don't focus in this conversation. Don't just focus on, Luigi did X. Oh, my God. What does that mean to society? Okay, There is a reason why he engaged in that. And when you see millions of people across the country celebrating somebody for bringing pain like that to the health care industry, you have to say, why is it that so many people agree with his action and are cheering on his action? That's where I am. That's what. That's what I am motivated by. Why are people feeling that way rather than telling them they shouldn't feel that way? I think media has a responsibility to report the truth and to speak truth to power. And when we are reporting the truth, we are. We have to say, why are all these people so happy that this happened? We cannot say, you guys should not feel that way. And, like, when we wag our finger at the people and say, you should not feel that way, we are completely missing what is really going on.

Stephen A. Smith (41:40)

I don't think we're missing what's going on. I get your point, and I think it's valid. I just think that you're pointing. People like myself, Gayle King, and others were pointing to the celebration or the, you know, the. I'm gonna say the celebration, that kind of vibe that was out there when a person was murdered. And I think that ultimately that's the scary part because it provides justification for such a heinous act. I get what you're saying, though. You're not wrong. I'm not trying to say that you're wrong and you are right. As media members, we do need to look into why are people feeling that way. That is just as important as what happened. But I also think that we can't minimize the word celebration in terms of how it came across in the eyes of some people that were disseminating that kind of message to the masses. I'm happy it happened. I don't care that this guy was murdered. This is what UnitedHealthcare CEO was doing. And guess what? If it happens to somebody else, good. That was the attitude. And I don't know if that's good for our society, bro. I just don't.

Torre (42:43)

I mean there's, there is an anti corporate mood in the country for a reason because our country is shaped by what the wealthy and what the corporations want. There's a very low correlation between what the masses want and what DC does and a very high correlation between what the corporations want and what. Right. What the court, what, what, what D.C. does. People are angry about that. People are angry about this massive wealth gap that we have. People are completely missing the point when they say Brian Thompson came from humble background, which he did. Public school, Iowa farmer, father, but he became part of the extreme wealth class. And did he remember that he came from a working class or lower middle class background when he became extremely wealthy? Did he, did he think about that? When people had claims and couldn't pay them and he, and they couldn't pay for their health care and he refused their claims, did he think about that? I mean, he's not. The New York Times tried to call him a working class hero. He is a working class traitor. Like we need to talk about that.

Stephen A. Smith (43:51)

I don't recall anybody calling him a working class hero. That's news to me.

Torre (43:55)

I missed the Brett Stevens of the New York Times.

Stephen A. Smith (43:57)

I missed that one.

Torre (43:58)

Brett Stevens, Brett Stevens, New York Times.

Stephen A. Smith (44:00)

All right, that's one individual of the New York Times. Everybody's got their opinion. I get that part. Torre, I appreciate it, man. I can't. Listen, I can't argue your point. You're absolutely right. Especially me being in the media along with the rest of us. You are absolutely right that there should be a spotlight placed on the dissent that people feel, the disgust that people feel as to why this stuff happened. Get to the bigger issue about really, really being against corporate America and what it's done to the American citizens, particularly with the new administration coming into office and what people are anticipating may happen for those, you know, for the wealthy amongst us. You're absolutely right. There's no doubt about that. So I can't knock it. I was just saying, look, you're out in the streets, you know, a dude got murdered. Now that ain't a reason to celebrate. That's all I was trying to say. But I got your point. I got your point. And I've been in a situation, as you have, where most of our life before find a situation where corporate America hasn't been there for us at all. We didn't go out and shoot anybody. That's all I'm saying. That's all I'm saying. I get your point. You're not wrong. You're not wrong. I'm just saying we ain't go out there and shoot somebody in the back and gun them down. That's not.

Torre (45:08)

I, you know, look, I don't know. I don't know where you got in the back. I haven't seen the full footage. I don't think it was in the back. I don't know why. I don't know why we keep going back to the.

Stephen A. Smith (45:16)

Well, I guess. I guess where he was when he got shot soon. I'm only assuming that because I saw him pointing a gun at him while a guy was walking and his back was turned and I saw a report.

Torre (45:26)

That said, no, I know, but I don't. I don't. I don't think that that matters. As far as the relationship to the healthcare industry and the way that all these people feel, I've never seen in my life such a stark divide between the way the media class is discussing something and the way the people feel. And we saw such a stark divide that I felt I had to speak about it on social media. And, you know, with folks like you to be like, you know, y'all need to understand, because when it was maga, when MAGA rose up, media said, we need to understand who these people are. Right. We also wagged our finger at them, but we went to their coffee shops to try to figure out who they are. And right now, as millions of people are cheering Luigi on, we need to go into their coffee shops and figure out who they are, why they feel that way.

Stephen A. Smith (46:17)

So let the audience know when you're going to be talking about this further, because I know you ain't going to get off this subject.

Torre (46:21)

I mean, you know, you can catch me on rap Latte on YouTube. I'm on my TikTok tour show. We're going to talk about on my podcast tour show. And, you know, I'll be back here with Stephen A. Smith next week.

Stephen A. Smith (46:33)

I appreciate you, man. Thanks a lot, bro. Thanks a lot. So much, man.

Torre (46:37)

Thanks, brother.

Stephen A. Smith (46:37)

Appreciate the education. Thanks a lot. All right, man.

Torre (46:39)

Thank you.

Stephen A. Smith (46:40)

Coming up, Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and his fiance are making headlines on social media talking about their relationship. I've got some advice for them, y'all. Plus, Ryan Clark responds to Aaron Rodgers. You do not want to miss that, Trust me. That's right. That's next right here on the Stephen a Smith Show. You don't want to miss that. You don't. I need all of y'all to stop what you're doing and listen up here at the Stephen A. Smith show. And in everything I do, I'm in it to win it. Everyone likes to win. That's why our show has decided to team up with Prize Picks, America's number one fantasy sports app with over 3 million members to help you turn all your sports knowledge into some big time cash. You see, Prize Picks is a daily fantasy app where you choose just between two and six players from any of the sports you love to watch and then pick more or less of their projected stats for the game. Pick Josh Allen's passing yards, Jaylen Brown's total rebounds, and Brock Faber's shots on goal all in the same entry. And because it is December, that means it's now Pixmas at Prize Picks. So be on the lookout all month for free picks, discounts and free lineups. In addition to the other great Prize Picks promotions like the Prize Picks Flex Friday promotion where you can opt in for protected play. That's right, every Friday on Prize Picks, find a protect to play option where you win or your cash back. And that's not all. Sign up with code SAS and prize picks 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 prize picks and we'll get you $50 instantly. Prize picks pick more, pick less. It's really, really that easy.

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Stephen A. Smith (49:53)

Welcome back to the Stephen A. Smith Show. I gotta get into something that's hitting a little close to home because there seems to be something percolating between one of my colleagues at espn, the one and only Ryan Clark. Rc my brother from the Pivot podcast, obviously an extraordinary NFL analyst for espn, a contributor to First Take, get up and other shows on ESPN like NFL Live, Monday Night Football, Monday Night, NFL Countdown, et cetera. This is who Ryan Clark is. He's an incredible asset to the ESPN family. He's a personal friend of mine. Brother got love for him and he was on First Take last week, really going at Aaron Rodgers. Even called him a fraud and just clapped at him big time for some of the things that he has said and done, particularly in his less than illustrious time with the New York jets. Even though over the last couple of weeks or so, Aaron Rodgers been balling, throwing for 628 yards, four touchdowns, no picks at all over the last couple of games. Nevertheless, when he spoke and said what he said, Aaron Rodgers, who's a weekly Guest on Pat McAfee show on ESPN, had this to say about Ryan Clark. Quote, say whatever the expletive you want about me. I don't care. But just before you do it, whether you state your name, your accolades, pronouns, whatever it is, just state your vax status so that anything you say afterwards get you put in the right light. Just get it out there. That was Aaron Rodgers. If you know anything about my man Ryan Clark, he ain't gonna take stuff like that sitting down. That's just not how he rolls to anybody. Especially, I mean, he's a proud black man. So you're a white dude coming at him, he gonna, he's gonna raise his antennas even more. I'm just telling you who I know. I'm not saying he said anything like that. I just know him, okay? And that we've known each other for years. So needless to say, I was, I was anticipating when I saw that quote from Aaron Rodgers that Ryan Clark would have a response. I didn't know it was going to be a 4 minute one on on X, but Ryan Clark, that's what he does when he has something to say. So I decided to peel about two minutes from it to air for y'all and see yourselves. Here's Ryan Clark responding to Aaron Rodgers.

Ryan Clark (52:31)

My name is Ryan Clark. Played 13 years in the NFL, been to two Super Bowls. I have as many rings as you do. I was the captain of two separate football teams. I'm also an Emmy winner. I'm also the co host, owner and partner of an Emmy nominated podcast called the Pivot. Now I know something else you were very interested in was my vaccination status. And yes, I'm vaxxed because I have no spleen, I have no gallbladder because of playing in Denver and being willing to go back honestly and play again. Because I've been in those locker rooms and I've talked to people that have been in the locker rooms with you. I have the stories, I have all the things that they said that informed my opinion of who you are and as far as your vaccination status. So you can stop trying to trick people into thinking that we want to talk about that above the stink of your film. I've never heard it one more time after your incident. And the only reason we spoke about it then was because based on your vaccination status, it was going to determine how long you were out. And also, people didn't care that you weren't vaccinated. They cared that you were slimy about it. They cared that you were deceitful about it. And they cared that you had this air of arrogance when answering the questions about it. And you've kind of only been the only person that's talked about it since. But let me be very, very clear. My job is to analyze you. You've decided to analyze me. And in analyzing you, what I know is Your QBR is 21st. Also know that you're the quarterback of a 410 team who has to win the last three games of the season to even be equal to what last year's team was without you. No, I get it. You get on the show and you talk about my brooch and you curse and all this tough talk. I just need you to know don't none of that scare me. I'm gonna do my job the way I'm supposed to. Do it. I feel no way about not being able to talk about what the film says because of what my career was. And if you continue to be arrogant or smug or hypocritical and it pertains to my job, I'm gonna do it. And I want to remind you again, I'm Ryan Clark, 13 years Emmy winner, host of an Emmy nominated podcast. And speaking of that jealousy and guest stuff, the Rock, Kevin Hart, Mike Tomlin, Devonte Adams, Joe Burrow, Shaq, just to name a few. No money, just relationships, conversations and respect. It's what I tried to give you and we'll keep it that way as long as you want it.

Stephen A. Smith (55:38)

Like that.

Ryan Clark (55:39)

Appreciate you.

Stephen A. Smith (55:40)

Wow. Riveting words by my brother, Ryan Clark. I will doubt that by one second. Couple of things to peel from all of this. Number one, in the past, on many occasions, I've been accused of having a man crush on Aaron Rodgers. I believe as a talent at his best, in his prime, en route, four leg MVP honors, he's one of the greatest quarterbacks we've ever seen in our lives. He's still that way. I think Aaron Rodgers, up until Pat McAfee, Patrick Mahomes came along, I think that Aaron Rodgers, up until Patrick Mahomes came along, was the greatest talent at the quarterback position I'd ever seen with my two eyes. So there's nothing to debate about the greatness of Aaron Rodgers and the fact that he's destined for the hall of Fame because when you have his resume, it is what it is. But Ryan Clark, his words cannot be diluted or minimized because what he pointed out was accurate. Aaron Rodgers, QBR, is 21. The New York jets are 4 and 10. Up until 4 a couple of weeks ago, Aaron Rodgers looked horrid as a quarterback for the New York Jets. It's been years since he's thrown for over 300 yards in the game and the precipitous drop off has been alarming. Now in the last two weeks, 628 passing yards, four touchdowns, no picks over the last seven games, 13 touchdowns, just one an exception or pass, a rating of 100.4. Very impressive. But the reality is is that Aaron Rodgers looked as like a shell of himself. And one has no doubt that that must hurt him to hear from anybody. And what I like about this conversation, and I say like because I'm fascinated by it. See, this isn't Aaron Rodgers clapping at a reporter. This is Aaron Rodgers going at a former contemporary, a member of the club, a member of the clique. You Remember, you're a National Football League player, you're a Super bowl champion. You apply, you qualify. So Aaron Rodgers can't come at Ryan Clark the way he would come at, say, somebody like me who's never played football or a plethora of other pundits and commentators out there who have never played the game or any professional sport for that matter. That is not Ryan Clark. That is not Ryan Clark. And so when you tried to come at him that way, that was mistake number one. Mistake number two, you brought up the vax status. Because evidently Amber Rogers feels that anybody who took the vaccine, their opinions are to be dismissed. Because there's so much that we've learned about the whole COVID vaccine and everything that transpired during that time that conspiracy theorists at the time, the Aaron Rodgers, the Kyrie Irving and others, ended up looking a lot better later on, and in fairness, a lot better than the rest of us, myself included. Here's the flip side. Ryan Clark pointed out it wasn't that you took the vaccine or that you didn't take the vaccine, is that he used the word slimy. I'm saying you were lying. You said you were immunized. You gave the impression that you were vaccinated, and you didn't man up and state, no, I didn't take the vaccine. And guess what? As an NFL player, Aaron Rodgers didn't have to take the vaccine. You would have still been allowed to play. So there was no reason to give the impression that you were vaccinated when in fact you weren't. And you being seen as a standup guy, to call it like you saw it and was honest and forthcoming didn't come across like that. When it came to the whole vaccination issue. That's what Ryan Clark was pointing to. And he's right about that. When it gets to the credentials of Ryan Clark, let me say this. Ryan Clark is a contributor to First Aid. Ryan Clark is one of the most brilliant football analysts we have in the business today. His ethics, his professionalism, his core nucleus of his soul is not to be questioned. Now me, those brooches that he's got on his blazers, the big rc. I don't think you need that, bro. Everybody know who you are. See, when you large rc, you don't need the rc. You know what I'm saying? We know who the hell you are. That's just my personal opinion. But that's his style. He doesn't believe he's better dressed than. Than me. I disagree, but that's a different subject. For another day. In all seriousness, the point is the brother has high integrity. High integrity. He's very principled, and he ain't backing up from anybody. And so when Aaron Rodgers wants to come at him, you can't come at him for his credentials as a football player other than he wasn't you. You can't come at him for his integrity or professionalism as somebody in the media, because he's pointed out the great work that he's been doing. And he's right on all fronts when he talks about what he hears in those locker rooms. Well, y'all are the ones that tell the media, we don't know. Y'all are the ones that know. Well, he's one of the y'alls, which means that people in locker rooms have told him those things that he ultimately has disseminated and conveyed about you, Aaron Rodgers, and that is inescapable. And the last part about his relationships, that was not a shot at Pat McAfee, nor should it be. Plenty of shows have had and will have guests that they pay. Pat McAfee has done it. I'm sure it's something I'll do in the future for people I paid guests before, you understand? Not. I'm talking about anybody that would come on weekly or whatever. Sure, I would. Okay. Along with many, many, many others who would do that. There are paid appearances in our business all the time. That was not a shot at Pat McAfee. It was a shot at Aaron Rodgers. It was Ryan Clark saying, you got to be paid to go on with your boy. Other people didn't charge me. That's not talking about Pat McAfee. That's talking about Aaron Rodgers. So I think it's something that needed to be said. In the end, it comes back to what I've said about Aaron Rodgers on many times. My man ball and win. Because the reality is you haven't won as great as you are, you haven't won a Super bowl since 2010. You haven't been to the Super bowl since 2010. And now your career is going in the wrong direction based on wins and losses. They want you. Dial it back. Roll it back to next year with you and Devonte Adams here all next season and beyond. Do something about it, bro. Show us what you got left going after Ryan Clark. That ain't gonna do much for you. That ain't gonna do much for you. Ryan Clark and I have gone at each other in the past. You don't have a platform every day like I do. You don't want to go at Ryan Clark. That is not a winnable situation for you, Aaron Rodgers. In fact, it's almost as bad of a situation as it has been. You going out on the field on Sundays in the jets uniform. You might want to think about that. Just friendly words of advice. That's all I want to say about that. Now I want to get into a story I've seen percolating in the headlines and social media, and that's about Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and his fiance, Leanna Lanae. For some reason, these two young people feel the need to hit the social media airwaves to defend their relationship in front of the world. I really don't get this. Liana went to TikTok Monday, TikTok to explain why she didn't stand when Travis was announced as the Heisman Trophy winner. Take a look at this.

Leanna Lanae (64:05)

When his name was called, I instantly was gonna, if you watch the video, you can see me, like. But his mom didn't get up. So I was like, oh, maybe I don't get up. Maybe I just sit here with her. So I sat there, and then. And then y'all said, coach prime had it, telling me to get up.

Stephen A. Smith (64:22)

No, he didn't.

Leanna Lanae (64:23)

He said, go get him. Go get your man. Like. And once Travis stood up. But he didn't have to do that because I was gonna do that anyways. Soon as I seen Travis get up, then I thought it was appropriate to stand up, greet him, congratulate him. But then there was a camera right in front of Coach prime, and I knew they were gonna film that moment.

Stephen A. Smith (64:41)

And because.

Leanna Lanae (64:42)

Because of how people are online, I was like, I don't want to be in that shot, so I'm gonna sit down. So I try to sit down so I'm not in the camera while I'm crying. People are gonna, oh, why? She's. Why is she crying? Like, you know, stuff like that. And so I got out of the camera purposely so they can have their moment. That's all it was. No one told me to stand up. No one had to tell me to celebrate with him. I was just sitting there crying. I wanted to take it in myself to. I was super excited for him, but I wanted the moment to be about him and his family.

Stephen A. Smith (65:15)

What are you doing, Leanna? What are you doing? Before I go any further on this subject, let me fully explain. She also went on to explain her actions following Colorado's last home game, where fans wondered why she didn't seem to give him a hug. And then she explained to fans why she didn't respond to Travis when he first tried to holler via a dm. As for Travis, he also went to social media on Monday to defend his fiance, adding more fuel to this fire. Hunter, who swept all of the major college football awards, including the Heisman, appeared on the streaming platform Twitch that same day as Leanna. He told fans she's been crying herself to sleep over comments made by Internet users. What are y'all doing? First of all, Leanna, you are his lady. You are his fiance. You are about to be his wife. Why are you explaining to the world how much you care about him? Does he know? That's all that matters. You are on camera, your voice cracking, tears feeling like seeming like they're on the verge of streaming down your face, completely upset over these assertions pervading all over social media. You think that's going to shut people up? All it's going to do is invite them to talk about you more. Why? Because you find people soft, squat and you soft spot and you squeeze. That's the cruel world we're living in. You got to be stronger than that. You got to have alligator skin. You're a young lady, a beautiful young lady who one would surmise completely love some man and is looking forward to spending the rest of your life with him. Congratulations. But it's about him, not about what other people think about you. With him, you got to learn that when you invite people in your relationships, you're ultimately going to invite them into your marriage. You really, really want that. You don't want that. That's number one. The big issue I have is with Travis Hunter. She's crying herself to sleep. What in God's name would make you think that that's a good thing to tell the world? Why would you do that? You think they're gonna feel sorry for her? You think they're gonna have compassion? You don't see these trolls out here, bro. You are an all world player and they gonna find something to criticize you about. Just wait for it. It's coming, if it hasn't already. Give it time. I tell you. A few minutes. There's people talking about how she looks. I think she looks beautiful. I'm sure you do, too. I'm quite sure there's other people that are saying otherwise. They don't mean it. It's to get at you. You could do better. Why you got to be with her? Why can't you be with somebody else? Blah, blah, blah. They gonna do all of that. What you doing? What are you doing? Don't give into that. You about to go into the National Football League. That's what you about to do. You about to get paid in my eyes. This should be your most selfish time. You need to think about the people that you're involving in your life.

Torre (69:06)

How.

Stephen A. Smith (69:07)

Close knit they are. Do they keep things internal? They gonna go on social media and express themselves. You don't need that. You ain't got time for that nonsense. Try and get your paper. Try to build your career. Try to be in the National Football League, bro. You don't need to be coming home after a hard day's work as a National Football League player worried about what somebody got to say about you or your girl, your fiance. You can't respond to that. You just won the Heisman. And you on X talking about how or twitch or whatever hell else you were on. Talking about how she had to cry herself to sleep. What in this world has told you? People are gonna say, oh, we're so cruel. We shouldn't have done that to her. We're sorry. They ain't gonna do that. They ain't gonna do that. There's a lot of good, decent people in this world, Travis. But the ones who are the loudest, the ones who are the most conspicuous, who illuminate the most, they ain't shit. They wait for you to fall, bro. They don't give a damn about you. And in their eyes, your girl is your weak spot because she showed her vulnerabilities. Don't do it. Take it from your boy, Stephen, A cause you know I'm rooting for you. First of all, I think she's beautiful. I think y'all are beautiful couple. I wish you nothing but the best. Secondly, you got prom. Talk to your coach. That brother knows they came after him too. And look at how he shining. Follow his lead. Last but not least, let me tell you something, bro. Listen to Cat Williams. You got 50 haters mad. You, man, you should be happy you don't have a hundred, 200, 500 alligator skin, brah. Develop more of it. Let it roll right off your chest. Because in most instances, people in this world are wishing they were you. You don't have to do what you did. She don't have to do what she did. Being on social media, holding back tears, voice cracking and all of that. No, that showed the world they could get to you. You don't do that. You don't do that. Now let's get to some tweets before I get on out of here. For the day. Because I want to see what kind of tweets y'all go send my way, all right? Because I know y'all like to do that with me, so I'm happy to help, all right? At EBSC 93, Edwin Bach writes, who would win in a game of one on one? Prime T. Mac or Prime KD? Give me reasons. KD. Easy. T Mac was a monster. T. Mac is my brother. That brother was special, special talent. He never had a pure offensive game like Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant from 3, from the mid range. You know what I'm saying? Easy money. You know what I'm saying? I mean, easy money sniper. This is who this brother is. T. Mac could give you 28 to 30 a night anytime he wanted to. And he could make jump shots and threes, but he wasn't a natural shooter. The brother could shoot, but he wasn't a natural bonafide marksman. He can get to the hole, he'll dunkin on your face. He could sit up there and finish at the basket. He could do these things. But he wasn't the offensive juggernaut that Kevin Durant is the smooth operator. No, you easily. I mean, this is an easy choice right here. Kd all day, every day. No question about it. Let's go to the next tweet, please let me get it at Zillow Gone Wild writes, would you live here, Steven? Now, look at this. This Colorado home embodies the spirit of we aren't here for a long time, just a good time. Only 1.6 million in grand Junction, Colorado. It looks pretty fly. Would I live here? Well, what's the problem with this? I mean. Hold on. Hell, no. I didn't see all of this around it. Hell with all of this. Don't show me the inside of that. The inside of that house looks nice, but it's a hot tub with a stripper pole. I got that part, all right? I don't need a stripper. Poles. See, I once had an experience. I have to confess to y'all. It's many years ago. Long time ago. Long time ago. Long, long, long, long time ago. BERNIE Mac voice I was at a strip club, and this stripper was on the pole. And what happened was she tried to hang upside down and fell all the way down, bust her ass. Blood was all over the place. They had to shut the club down and get her to the hospital. She ended up being fine, but it was very embarrassing and very, very painful. That's one of the last times I was ever at the strip club. I ain't gonna tell you where, but it happened many years ago. Many years ago. Okay, so I don't want to eat the strip of pole. You got the hot tub. But here's the issue. Look at the outsides here. Look at this here. Look at this here. Look at this here. What the hell is this? Neighborhood matters. Neighborhood matters. Talk about lowering the value of one's home. That would be that. Okay. No, I'm not living there for the inside reasons with the strip pole and the outside reasons with the neighborhood. You understand? All I got to say about that neighborhood is I hope you can wrecking them. Right? And I'll leave it at that. Next up, what you got@nate bg22 underscore writes who wins if they were in Super Smash Brothers, A Chill guy, a family Guy, Bill Nye, the Science Guy, Super Smash Brothers. I'm going to lean on the word smash and go with the biggest figure, the family guy. That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to look at the biggest figure here. I'm going to associate it with the word smash. And that's what I'm going to go with, the family guy. For no other damn reason other than that. I don't think I need another reason other than that. That's just me. I got to get on out of here. I hope you all enjoyed the show. Be at you next time. All right, that's it for this edition of the Stephen A. Smith Show. I'm signing off. Peace and love, everybody. We'll top.

Talkspace Advertisement (76:03)

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. You know, when you're really stressed or not feeling so great about your life or about yourself, talking to someone who understands can really help. But who is that person? How do you find them? Where do you even start? Talkspace. Talkspace makes it easy to get the support you need. With Talkspace, you can go online, answer a few questions about your preferences, and be matched with a therapist. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule wherever you feel most at ease. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or if you want some counseling for you and your partner or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus, Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off of your first month with promo code SPACE80. When you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com save $80 with code SPACE80@talkspace.com what's up, everyone?

Stephen A. Smith (77:04)

It's Greg Rosenthal, and I'm teaming up with the King of Spring, Daniel Jeremiah. He requires me to say that we're.

Torre (77:11)

Going to be bringing you 40s and.

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Free agents, the only podcast you'll need this 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.

Torre (77:21)

Thursday keeping you up to date as.

Stephen A. Smith (77:23)

We head to the NFL Draft. Listen to 40s and free agents starting.

Torre (77:28)

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