On August 21, Stephen A. Smith commented on Lonzo Ball's meniscus injury during an episode of First Take on ESPN. Smith claimed that a source had told him that Ball was struggling to sit down and stand up. Ball responded, showing his ability to stand and sit up while asking Smith who his sources were. Smith, shockingly, responded on The Stephen A. Smith Show, revealing that Ball's doctors had given him the information.
This was seemingly confirmation that Smith had committed a HIPAA violation. HIPAA is legislation that regulates how private medical information is used. In fact, in Smith's case - the burning of his source revealed two such violations. The first was Ball's medical team divulging private medical information to Smith. The second was Smith broadcasting that information on national television. However, according to ESPN, Smith won't face reprimand for this serious breach of journalistic ethics.
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ESPN Distances Themselves From Smith Controversy
"We don’t have anything to add from the ESPN side here. His podcast is separate from his ESPN role," an ESPN spokesperson told HotNewHipHop on August 24. From this, it's clear that ESPN's view is that any comments Smith makes on The Stephen A. Smith Show are not to be conflated with his role at the network. Thusly, Smith seemingly admitting to violating HIPAA should not be reflected in his relationship with ESPN.
Except, the information was first revealed to the public on an ESPN product. The entire debacle originated with Smith making these claims on First Take, his primary role with ESPN. However, regardless of whether Smith violated HIPAA, decision to a) burn a source and b) double down when presented with information that debunked your claims, is just the latest drop in a bucket of major Ls that Smith has taken of late. Ball and Smith are yet to respond to either Smith's comments or the allegations of violating medical legislation. This remains a developing story and we'll have any updates as and when they emerge.
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