Elevator cameras have proven the new way to get celebrities caught in the act. This time, it was Baltimore Ravens’ player Ray Rice who was caught on tape dragging his then-fiancee Janay Palmer’s unconcious body out of the elevator after a physical altercation. For his offense, Rice has been suspended for two games by the NFL.
First Take‘s Stephen A. Smith, like many others, felt like Rice’s actions required a heavier punishment. On Friday’s episode, Smith went on a rant about domestic violence, which ended with him implying that the blame is on the woman. He used words such as “provoke” to express how “we’ve got to do what we can to prevent the situation from happening in any way.”
A few days after his statement was received negatively, Smith came out again with a public apology, calling his previous statement “the most egregious error of my career.”
“My words came across that it is somehow a woman’s fault,” said Smith. “This was not my intent. It is not what I was trying to say. Yet the failture to clearly articulate something different lies squarely on my shoulders.”
Shortly after his public apology, ESPN released a statement about Smith’s segment, saying that “Stephen’s comments do not reflect our company’s point of view” but assuring viewers that he wouldn’t be suspended. UPDATE: ESPN Suspends Stephen A. Smith
Watch his apology here. What do you think of Smith’s comments on domestic violence?