Stephen A. Smith has always been opinionated. However, throughout the years, it is clear that Smith has been upping the ante. His commentary has become more dramatic, and there have been times when he has presented himself as some sort of WWE figure. Someone who is more about interpersonal beef rather than actual sports journalism and analysis.
This has caught the attention of many of his peers. Those who work for ESPN do not dare to criticize Smith. That said, there are plenty of others outside of the network who have no fear in giving Smith their unfiltered takes about him.
For instance, during a conversation with Rich Kleiman, executive Steve Stoute noted how Smith is at a point in his career where journalism doesn't matter so much anymore. Instead, Smith is more focused on becoming as famous as possible and making as much money as possible.
Smith saw these comments and was not happy about them, so much so that he took to his show on Tuesday to address Stoute. As you will see below, the ESPN pundit did not hold back.
Stephen A. Smith Responds To Steve Stoute
Smith claims fame was never something he was interested in. Instead, he claims to be someone who is fully motivated by telling the truth. He also admonished Stoute for calling him a clout chaser. In fact, Smith turned it on Stoute, saying that Stoute needs to say Smith's name in order to gain clicks and traction.
The pundit then shifted his focus to Rich Kleiman, who was in agreement with Smith. Moreover, Smith then noted how he was recently called out by NASCAR driver Joey Logano for saying that race car drivers are not athletes.
Needless to say, Smith is someone who has created quite a few enemies for himself. This has led to a constant stream of beefs that is, quite frankly, exhausting. At some point, fans are going to start tuning out for good.
