Stephen A's Take: Both Joel Embiid and Philly reporter were wrong. - The Stephen A. Smith Show

Summary

The Stephen A. Smith Show
Episode: Stephen A's Take: Both Joel Embiid and Philly Reporter Were Wrong
Release Date: November 6, 2024

Overview

In this episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, host Stephen A. Smith delves into a heated controversy involving NBA star Joel Embiid and Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Marcus Hayes. The discussion centers around Hayes' critical column on Embiid's professionalism and conditioning, Embiid's subsequent defense and physical confrontation with Hayes, and Stephen A.'s nuanced take on both parties' actions. This in-depth analysis offers listeners an unfiltered perspective on the intersection of sports, media, and personal boundaries.

Background of the Controversy

Marcus Hayes' Column: Marcus Hayes, a seasoned columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, authored a controversial piece critiquing Joel Embiid's dedication to the Philadelphia 76ers. In his column, Hayes questioned Embiid's professionalism and commitment to maintaining peak physical condition, despite personal challenges, including the loss of his brother and the birth of his son.

"Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son Arthur as the major inflection point in his basketball career... In his 11th season, he consistently has been in poor condition."
— Marcus Hayes [01:02]

Joel Embiid's Reaction: Following a Sixers loss to the Grizzlies on Saturday night, Embiid expressed his frustration with Hayes' remarks during a press conference.

"I've done way too much for this city... He's not here, Marcus, whatever his name is. I've done way too much for this to be treated like this."
— Joel Embiid [02:17]

The Locker Room Altercation

The situation escalated when Embiid and Hayes encountered each other in the Sixers' locker room post-game. Eyewitnesses reported Embiid raising his voice against Hayes, leading to a physical confrontation where Embiid reportedly pushed Hayes.

"The next time you bring up my dead brother and my son again, you are going to see what I'm going to do to you. And I'm going to have to live with the consequences."
— Joel Embiid [02:38]

Stephen A.'s Perspective: Stephen A. emphasizes the inappropriateness of Embiid's physical response, regardless of Hayes' criticisms.

"You don't put your hands on anybody. You don't engage in physical violence... regardless of what our society tries to depict and encourage and condone, you don't do it."
— Stephen A. Smith [02:38]

Critical Analysis of Both Sides

Defending Marcus Hayes: Smith acknowledges Hayes' right to critique Embiid's performance, highlighting his legitimacy as a veteran columnist.

"Marcus Hayes has every right to write that and every right to say that. Go back in the Philadelphia Inquirer and see some of the columns I've written over the years."
— Stephen A. Smith [05:00]

However, he condemns Hayes for personalizing the critique by invoking Embiid's deceased brother and his son, which Smith deems as crossing professional boundaries.

"You didn't have to use his deceased brother and his son to do it. There's a certain level you don't do."
— Stephen A. Smith [07:15]

Criticizing Joel Embiid: While recognizing Hayes' rights, Smith also criticizes Embiid for his inconsistent health and dedication to the team.

"Embiid misses half his games. He's never healthy for a full season... has been perpetually injured throughout his career."
— Stephen A. Smith [08:00]

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Stephen A. concludes that while Marcus Hayes was within his rights to critique Embiid's athletic performance and commitment, the manner in which he did so—by mentioning deeply personal aspects like Embiid's family—was inappropriate and unprofessional. Conversely, Embiid's physical reaction to the criticism was unacceptable, regardless of the validity of Hayes' points.

"Marcus was wrong about bringing up his family, and Embiid was wrong about using his hands. Both parties crossed lines."
— Stephen A. Smith [09:20]

Smith underscores the importance of maintaining professionalism both in journalism and personal conduct, urging respect and boundaries despite disagreements.

Key Takeaways

Freedom of the Press vs. Personal Boundaries: Journalists have the right to critique public figures, but personal matters should remain untouched to maintain professionalism.
Athlete Responsibilities: High-profile athletes like Embiid are under constant scrutiny regarding their commitment and performance, necessitating transparency and dedication.
Conflict Resolution: Physical confrontations are never justified as a response to verbal criticism, highlighting the need for respectful dialogue.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

Marcus Hayes' Critique:
"Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son Arthur as the major inflection point in his basketball career... In his 11th season, he consistently has been in poor condition."
[01:02]
Joel Embiid's Defense:
"I've done way too much for this city... He's not here, Marcus, whatever his name is."
[02:17]
Stephen A. on Violence:
"You don't put your hands on anybody. You don't engage in physical violence... you don't do it."
[02:38]
Stephen A. Supporting Hayes' Right to Critique:
"Marcus Hayes has every right to write that and every right to say that."
[04:30]
Condemnation of Personal Attacks:
"You didn't have to use his deceased brother and his son to do it. There's a certain level you don't do."
[07:15]
Critique of Embiid's Commitment:
"Embiid misses half his games. He's never healthy for a full season... has been perpetually injured throughout his career."
[08:00]
Final Verdict:
"Marcus was wrong about bringing up his family, and Embiid was wrong about using his hands. Both parties crossed lines."
[09:20]

This episode offers a comprehensive examination of the delicate balance between media criticism and personal respect, illustrating the complexities that arise when sports, personal lives, and public scrutiny intersect.

Transcript

Unknown Speaker (0:00)

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Greg Rosenthal (0:29)

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Unknown Speaker (1:02)

The other off the court news involves Sixers big man Joel Embiid and a columnist from the Philadelphia Inquirer by the name of Marcus Hayes. It happened Saturday night following the Sixers lost to the Grizzlies as reporters were entering the locker room. Embiid took exception to a column written by Hayes where he mentioned Embiid's son and late brother while questioning his professionalism and effort to stay in shape. Here's a portion of what Hayes wrote. Look at this, y'all. Quote Joel Embiid consistently points to the birth of his son Arthur as the major inflection point in his basketball career. He often says that he wants to be great, to leave a legacy for the boy named after his little brother, who tragically died in an automobile accident when Embiid was in his first year as a 76er. Well, in order to be great at your job, you first have to show up for work. Embiid has been great at just the opposite. Now in his 11th season, he consistently has been in poor condition. This poor conditioning apparently seems to have delayed his debut this season. End quote. On Friday, Embiid defended himself to reporters when asked about his lack of play. Take a look at this.

Unknown Speaker (2:17)

I've done way too much, you know, for this city and, you know, putting myself at risk, you know, for people to be saying that. So therefore I do think he's like that dude. He's not here, Marcus, whatever his name is. I've done way too much for this to be treated like this.

Unknown Speaker (2:38)

Then Saturday, things came to a head when Hayes and Embiid encountered one another in the locker room. And B was reportedly overheard shouting the following at Marcus Hayes, quote, the next time you bring up my dead brother and my son again, you are going to see what I'm going to do to you. And I'm going to have to live with the consequences. End quote. Indeed. Reportedly eventually pushed Hayes on the shoulder while the team's public relations chief got between them. Couple of notes to point this out with an open hand. They said that Embiid's open hand touched Marcus Hayes neck and shoulder. That's what they say. I reached out to Embiid and through the 76ers to ask him to come on today's show. He was not made available because the league is still conducting an investigation and obviously he's not allowed to speak. In the case of Marcus Hayes, I reached out to the Philadelphia Inquirer. That is the paper that I used to work for for 17 years, I might add. And I know Marcus Hayes, okay, as a colleague. I don't know him intimately or anything like that, but I know him as a colleague. Marcus Hayes was wrong. Now, that doesn't absolve Embiid. Embiid was wrong, too. You don't put your hands on anybody. You don't engage in physical violence. You just don't do that. Regardless of what our society tries to depict and encourage and condone, you don't do it. And had he done more than that, he'd be in a world of trouble because it's something you just don't do. So we have to say that. But Marcus Hayes was wrong. And I'm going to tell you why you don't do what he did. Embiid has been perpetually injured throughout his career. Marcus Hayes, and I've read numerous columns that he's written on Indeed over the last several months, has every right to say what he said about indeed questioning his conditioning, questioning why the hell would you go and play for Team USA when you know you've missed so much action for the Philadelphia 76ers. That's an additional couple of months that you could have been home getting yourself ready for this upcoming season. He's accused in beat of not prioritizing the Sixers as much as himself. Not prioritizing the Sixers fan base as much as himself. Whether you agree or disagree, I am here to say that Marcus. Marcus Hayes has every right to write that and every right to say that what you don't do, however, is bring up his brother, who's deceased due to a car accident, and the fact that the inflection point that you referred to involved in Bead Son, who he named after his late brother, that's pretty damn low. You can't do that. And when I invited Marcus Hayes on this show and he did not get back to me, I wanted to emphasize the point that I really thought he crossed the line with that. But that's it. Nothing else crossed the line. You're a columnist. You're paid to editorialize an open and give your opinion. And if you feel that this brother is out of shape and you feel that he is robbing Sixes fans, season ticket holders, I think it's over 14,000 season ticket holders, that he's robbing the fan base, that the team that's looking for a new $1.55 billion new arena in downtown Philadelphia, and that that's going to cost taxpayers their money, and they're not getting its worth from Joel Embiid. As a columnist, ladies and gentlemen, he has every right to write that. He has every right to say it. Go back in the Philadelphia Inquiry and see some of the columns I've written over the years. Trust me, I didn't bite my tongue if I and I felt very harsh things at times, and I wrote it, damn it. So I'm not about to sit here and be a hypocrite and call Marcus Hayes out for that. He's not wrong for that. But Marcus is a pro, and he's been around a long time. There's certain levels you can't sink to. And mentioning his dead brother and his son cross the line. And I and Embiid is one of the nicest guys you'll ever want to meet. He is a superstar in this league. He has box office and has a box office personality to go along with it. I love me some Joel Embiid. And if I had been there and I had had the pleasure of conversing with Joel Embiid, I would have told him, marcus crossed the line with that one paragraph about your dead brother and your son. But I would have defended Marcus Hayes, right to write everything else. And in fairness to Joel Embiid, he said, talk about me, Attack me all you want to. Don't mention my family. He's right about that. He's right about that. And Marcus Hayes was wrong about that. Now, in fairness to Marcus Hayes, he tried to apologize and be wasn't hearing it. He gave some pushback, and b really wasn't hearing that, and those excerpts that I read to you are now deleted. But what's done is done. Marcus Hayes is not an amateur. He's been around a long time and he knows better than doing that. So in that regard, I'm giving him that criticism. But I want to emphasize it's the only criticism. Embiid misses half his games. He's never healthy for a full season, and he's been he only been healthy for one playoffs, and that was during the whole covet delayed season or covet halted season. Whether you agree or disagree, Marcus Hayes has every right to write his opinion about those things. You just didn't have to use his deceased brother and his son to do it. Excuse my language. There's a certain you don't do, and deep down, Marcus knows that, which is why he deleted the excerpts of why he tried to apologize. But it was too little too late after that. And that's my opinion on it.