ESPN sports analyst Stephen A. Smith (pictured), who is known for having diarrhea of the mouth, has denied using a racial slur on Thursday’s edition of the sports talk show “First Take,” reports the New York Daily News.
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While yakking it up with NBA baller Dahntay Jones about Kobe Bryant’s status for the regular season, it appeared as though Smith quickly uttered, “N**ga, please!”
”Opening night, Kobe Bryant is going to miss it because ‘my foot is sprained?’ Are you crazy? N**ga, please!”
Watch the video of it here:
Although the slur is clearly heard on the footage, Smith later appeared on the show to vehemently deny his use of the racial slur. The 45-year-old Bronx native claims that the alleged verbal faux pas was not heard correctly and since he is from New York, he tends to speak “very, very fastly, and sometimes … my words are misconstrued and I get it”:
“I did not say the things reported that I said,” Smith contends. “Hopefully I will not have to address this again…. If I were to have said anything like that, I would have instantly issued an apology.”
Well if memory serves us correctly — and it does — Smith also let one rip last year when discussing LeBron James on ESPN. At the time, he reportedly used the N-word.
Watch Stephen A. Smith on Lebron James here:
Despite his denial, the “phantom” controversial slip-up this go-round was reportedly edited out when the show was rebroadcast.
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