Stephen A. Smith doubles down on calling ICE shooting ‘justified’
Stephen A. Smith is arguably the most well-known sports commentator in the country. But the outspoken ESPN commentator’s perspective outside the sports arena has left him at the center of a firestorm.
The outrage stems from his sharp comments defending an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot a woman who walked away from him in Minneapolis.
Just hours after Wednesday’s shooting, Smith added on the SiriusXM “Straight Shooter” talk show that while the killing of Renee Nicole Good was “totally unnecessary,” the agent was “completely justified from a legal standpoint” in firing his gun at her.
He also noted: “From a human perspective, why did he have to do this?”
Smith’s comments about the agent being in danger echoed the views of Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said Good committed an “act of domestic terrorism” by attacking police officers and trying to run them over with his vehicle.
However, videos showing the incident from different angles show that the agent was not standing directly in front of Good’s vehicle when he opened fire. Local authorities maintain that Good poses no danger to ICE officers. A video published by partisan media outlet Alpha News He showed that he spoke well with representatives “I’m not angry with you,” he said before he was shot.
The shooting sparked massive protests and accusations from local officials that ICE’s presence was disruptive and increased violence. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frye condemned ICE and told agents to “get the hell out of our city.”
The incident brought Smith under even harsher scrutiny, raising questions about whether he was careless or irresponsible in offering his views on Good’s shooting despite having no direct knowledge of what happened.
An angry Smith”Straight ShooterDuring the show, which was posted on YouTube on Friday, he said people were trying to get him fired, saying the full context of his comments were not conveyed in media reports, specifically calling out the New York Post and media personality Keith Olbermann.
He also doubled down on his claim that Good instigated the situation that led to his death, saying the ICE agent was in front of Good’s car and would have been run over if he hadn’t moved out of the way.
“As soon as you deal with law enforcement, you follow their orders so you can get home safely,” he said. “Renee Good didn’t do this.”
When reached for comment on Smith’s statements, a representative for Smith said his response was on Friday’s show.
It’s not the first time Smith has stepped outside the sports world, saying it was interesting to get into politics. He and journalist Joy Reid had a public spat following his departure from MSNBC last year.
He also faced backlash from Black media members and others when he accused Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas of using “street slurs” in her frequent criticisms of President Trump.
“The way Jasmine Crockett expresses herself… Aren’t you there to get things done instead of just getting in the way? ‘I’m going to talk about Trump, swear at him at every opportunity, say the most derogatory things imaginable, and that’s my day job?’ This doesn’t work! The thing is, this is the man in power. I know what his agenda is. Maybe I’ll try working with this guy. ‘I can get something out of this for my constituents.’ ”
