Paul Finebaum blasts Stephen A. Smith for ‘racial’ – Sports News
Paul Finebaum delivered a scathing rebuke of fellow ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith for supposedly injecting race into a dialogue about Lane Kiffin’s profession prospects.
Multiple SEC powerhouses have lately proven eager curiosity in securing Kiffin’s companies following Ole Miss’s exceptional run underneath his stewardship. The Rebels have compiled three straight 10-win campaigns since 2022 – the longest such stretch in this system’s historical past.
During Wednesday’s ‘First Take’ broadcast, Smith weighed in on Kiffin’s attainable transition to a more distinguished program – showing to recommend that Black athletes is perhaps reluctant to play in Oxford, Mississippi.
“I’m going to bring it home, all right. He’s in Oxford, Mississippi, ok? Let’s get this out the way,” Smith started. “Leave it to me, I’ll say it. The brothers ain’t trying to come to Oxford, Mississippi for the most part compared to Gainesville or Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Let’s just call it what it is, ok?
“You have a look at the job that Lane Kiffin has executed at Ole Miss, it is phenomenal,” he continued. “The man has received 74% of his video games over the past six years. Ole Miss, they’re within the image. They might win a National Championship.
“Lane Kiffin, his personality, his cachet, it ain’t Nick Saban he’s got to worry about. He’s got the potential to be another Nick Saban, but it ain’t gonna happen at Ole Miss. Not for years down the road to come.
“But Gainesville? At the University of Florida? But Baton Rouge at Death Valley? At LSU? That’s a completely different animal.”
While Finebaum stayed relatively quiet during the ‘First Take’ discussion, the 70 year old quickly countered Smith’s remarks on his own program. “I understand a lot of you didn’t see what Stephen A. mentioned, however he clearly made it racial,” he contended. “He clearly mentioned, in his phrases, ‘the brothers don’t wish to go to Oxford, Mississippi,’ which has been confirmed to be utterly incorrect.
“I’ve been to Oxford a million times and I think it’s terribly unfair to bring up echoes of yesteryear, the 60s, and try to portray Oxford as that type of place today. It’s not.
“The south has modified. You could make your own interpretation, however to dump on Oxford whereas saying Gainesville and Baton Rouge can be utopia was simply baffling.”
Smith, in fairness, somewhat retracted his original statements toward the end of his commentary. “I’m not saying that you do not have black gamers and stuff like that on the group,” he clarified.
“Of course you do. You simply confirmed it with [the] ‘Pat McAfee Show.’ We perceive it.
“But I’m just talking about from a recruiting standpoint. In terms of longevity, establishing a sustained level of success for many, many years.”
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