Smith Apologizes for Domestic Abuse Comments: ‘Most Egregious Error of My Career’

Stephen A. Smith Apologizes for Domestic Abuse Comments: ‘Most Egregious Error of My Career’ (Mediaite)

First Take cohost Stephen Smith apologized at the top of Monday morning’s show for hiscomments about domestic abuse last Friday, in which he said that women played a role in provoking men into assaulting them. Smith called the comments the “most egregious error of my career.”

“My words came across it is somehow a woman’s fault,” Smith said. “This is not my intent. It was not what I was trying to say. Yet the failure to clearly articulate something different lies squarely on my shoulders. To say what I said was foolish is an understatement. To say I was wrong is obvious. To apologize, to say I’m sorry doesn’t do the proper justice. But I do sincerely apologize.”

The comments came during a discussion about the NFL’s paltry two-game suspension of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice for allegedly knocking out his girlfriend last February; Smith laterdoubled-down on them on Twitter.