What's up everybody, Happy holidays, and welcome to the latest edition of The stephen A. Smith Show, coming at you over the digital airways of YouTube and iHeart as I always love to do at least three times a week. As always, I like to pause to take a moment to thank my subscribers and followers everywhere.
We have now eclipsed over nine hundred and ninety.
Four thousand subscribers, rapidly approaching one million subscribers, which would obviously be a cause for celebration and a moment for me to extend yet my latest form of gratitude to all of you, because clearly wouldn't be possible if you didn't support and love to show the way that you have, So I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I'm obviously iHeart Radio. We've had a few million downloads over the last several months, so can't thank y'all enough
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Smith Show family.
And while you're doing that it is Christmas time and there is a best selling memoir.
That I have out. It is called Straight Shooter.
A Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes right now in paperback as well. Just go to straight Shooter book dot com once again, that Straight Shooter book dot Com to get yourself a copy. I'm told it's inspirational and motivational. That it is certainly not a sports book. It is about me, my life, my trials and tribulations, the things that I've had to overcome and endure and root to be in with the way I am today. So I appreciate the love and support that I've received in making
that a New York Times bestseller. Once you're on that list, you are on there forever. So I thank y'all again from the bottom of my heart. Is really, really incredibly appreciated. Let's get into the show, because we've got a lot
of things to get into. I'll be getting into some NFL action, some NBA action, some of your tweets and stuff like that as well, but not before I get into a couple of news items, one of them involving yours truly as always, So let's get right to it, Okay, some political talks, specifically my conversation on Fox News this weekend with the one and only Mark Levin. They called him the great one conservative radio host throughout the country. Plus you can catch him on Patriot Radio on Sirius
XM channel one twenty five. He's been a phenomenal host there for years. Nevertheless, I appeared on his show, Life, Liberty, and Levin, which airs on Fox News on Saturday nights and Sunday nights.
And while I was.
There, I gave my thoughts on the twenty twenty four election and expressed some regret about what has transpired with the Democrats and Vice President Kamala Harris. And I've said this on many many occasions. I don't like what I'm seeing from the Democratic Party. I said it on Life, Liberty, and Levin to Mark Levin himself. I've said it to this audience on various occasions. I'm saying it again now nobody's backing up from it. Nevertheless, I have to tell
you that. And I don't blame Mark Levin for this, But did you see the headline on Fox News?
Did you see it? Did you see it?
In case you didn't see it, put it up there for us folks. Let them see it right there. Look at that headline right there, stephen A. Smith regrets backing Vice President Harris open to voting GOP.
Not interested in the fear mongering.
Before I go to the actual clip of what I literally said, so I can show you all myself, let me stay for the record, I throw no fault in the direction of Mark Levin for the headlines as a reporter, as a commentator and punedit throughout the years, that have been many many times where I have said something and having no responsibility for the headlines whatsoever, the headlines didn't completely accurately portray what I had said.
So if I've.
Gone through that, I'm certainly not gonna blame Mark Levin. I know, would I ever accuse him of misrepresenting me. Just like I've been friends with Sean Hannity for over twenty years, that also applies to Mark Levin, who I've also known now are pretty much twenty plus years.
So he is a friend.
He is somebody that I communicate with often. No, we do not agree on a lot of our politics, just as is the case for Sean Hannity. But I respect those guys, and I've known them for years, and they've always watched my back always, and I always appreciate that, and I'm always going to do the same for them. So it's not about that, but it is important that you all know exactly what I said because headlines like
that turn to go viral. So, without further ado, this is just a small clip of Mark Levin asking me the question that he asked.
And I want you to listen to my answer. Here it is Stephen A. Smith. So could you see yourself? See what you see? Now?
Donald Trump can't run for president again, but if he could, under this current circumstances, could you see yourself voting for him?
Quite possibly.
I'm not going to sit up there and dismiss that anymore. I think we're beyond that. He would have to prove a lot mark and I'm not talking about policy now for a second.
Allow me to say this.
What concerned me about Donald Trump and the reason I voted against him and voted for Kamala Harris, was because I felt that he would be divisive, that he would create chaos, because he demands such a level of loyalty and fealty to him, and that would take priority over governing our nation. That was my concern, and so I'm looking for both sides to work across the os from
one another. Having said that, when you see some of the things that he said, if he follows through on some of the things that he has said, it's not just about eradicating inflation and proving the economy, obviously controlling our borders. These are all things that I care about, making no mistake about that, and I certainly would support him in that god, but it can't be just about
fealty to him and loyalty to him. It has to be about getting the job done on behalf of what's in the best interest of the American people as opposed to yourself, and not engaging in the kind of juvenile tendencies tweeting all the time and going after people who are really much irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. You do things like that, and you show that you're
the adult in the room. Yeah, I don't think anybody could dismiss Donald Trump at this particular moment in time, not just because of him, but because of what we've seen the Democrats do.
That is what I said.
Anywhere in that headline, Did you hear me say I regret voting.
For Kamala Harris.
You did not hear me say that, But I understand how it's a fine line, because I do have my trepidations and feelings of disgust when it comes to the Democratic Party, how they handle things leading up to the election, how they handle the year prior to the election, with Joe Biden refusing this step away and going back on this word to be a transitional president.
Okay.
I don't like the fact that, you know what, they got one hundred or one point five billion dollars and you know, next thing, you know, we're looking for where the money went. I don't like the fact that people like Oprah Winfrey and others were paid before doing interviews with Kamala Harris.
I don't like a whole bunch of stuff. A lot of it smells.
But I think it's important to make this point, and this is directly aimed at conservative media.
It may be.
Because they've been vilified for years and they've found themselves to be at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to the leftists on the media side. I get that part, but it doesn't negate the fact that when it comes to conservative media, they won't hesitate to misrepresent your words a bit for a better pro Trump anti Democrat headline, because indeed they like having prominent influential voice come over
to their way of thinking. To some of them, not all, not most, but to some of them, it makes it's like, oh my goodness. You know, there are a lot of folks out there, you know that do think like us, that do side with us to do favor our mode of thinking. And we're not as alienated as you think.
And I think there's a lot of folks within conservative media that are prone to doing something like that, just like you can look on the left, because the liberal media will misrepresent your words in a heartbeat to make you seem more extreme and to work very very hard to tie you in with the Trump and the Maga folks.
We've seen that happen to me on both sides.
So you know, I just felt the need to say that because it's important that people understand. I'm gonna say it again, and I'm gonna have it put up on the screen every time I'm on this show and I'm talking politics. I am an independent, I am not a Democrat. So I apologize if for anything anti anti dam that I may say, nor am I a Republican, And I'm certainly not apologizing for that. I have things that I am conservative about, and I have things I am liberal about.
I am a staunch conservative when it comes to my money. I'm a physical conservative. You damn right.
I ain't apologize you nobody. My man brand is in studio of me. You got a problem with that? Be I don't have problems.
You got problem with that? Get better?
You got problem with that? Hey, you better not have a problem with that. I am a fiscal conservative. I can't stand these damn high taxes in New York, New Jersey, in California. Okay, so trust you me. Anytime I can get away with moving to another place and not having to pay them damn taxes, I'm not gonna hesitate.
Let's get that out the way.
But I'm very liberal when it comes to living and let living. It doesn't matter whether I approve or disapprove, whether I like or don't like, I believe in living and let living.
That's how I roll.
Gay rights, abortion rights, whatever the case may be.
Live your life, Live your life.
You under said you want to transgender, gohead be transgender. You're a gay individual, Go ahead, live your life. Now, when you try to say you're a guy and that you're transitioning into being a lady and you want to compete against women, now you got a problem because I think that puts women at a distinct disadvantage.
That's how I feel about it. That's me looking out for women.
That's not me going up against somebody that's transgender.
But I digress.
I want to get back to my bigger point, and my bigger point is, once again, I wanted to make sure that everybody knew that the headline didn't accurately depict what I had said to Mark Levin. If I wanted to call out Vice President Kamala Harris like that, I would. I'm the guy that went at former President Barack Obama for talking down to black men, claiming it must be misogyny and misogyny if you didn't vote for Kamala Harris. I didn't appreciate that. I didn't appreciate that, but that's
what it is. I just want to make sure that we're clear nobody's backing up or apologizing for who I am and where I stand. And as I look at President elect Donald Trump coming into office, let me be very very clear about what I support.
When it comes to him, so we.
All, we're not misconstruing anything. I support eradicating inflation, I support lowering taxes, I support closing our borders. I support prioritizing national security.
Yes I do.
I'm not gonna go with his words about law and order, but damn it is one of.
My favorite shows for a reason. I like it.
I believe in law and order, and I want to make sure that I'm clear about that. So everything that Donald Trump has preached about I'm not against, which is why if he acts right and doesn't engage in pettiness and don't put incompetence in cabinet positions and stuff like that, I'm going to support the pride, don't. I don't on him to fail. I want him to succeed as long as it means the country succeeds, not him the country.
Now let me go to another sort of Donald Trump's subject here, and it involves former Representative Matt Gates because we gonna get to Washington and the details of the House Ethics Committee's report on former Florida Representative Matt Gates obtained by CNN. By the way, the report found that Gates paid tens of thousands of dollars to women for sex or drugs on at least twenty occasions, and one of those occasions included sex with a seventeen year old
girl in twenty seventeen. You might recall that Gates was nominated by President elect Donald Trump to be United States Attorney General, the top cop. The report concludes that Gates violated Florida state loads, including the state's statutory rape law. The GOP lead panel GOP led panel chose to take the rare step of releasing a report about a former member who resigned from Congress. Is a portion of the statement from the House Ethics Committee on the findings from the Gates investigation.
Quote.
The committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gates violated House rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rate, illicit drug use, in permissible gifts, special favors or privileges.
And obstruction of Congress end quote.
As for Gates, he filed a lawsuit today seeking an emergency temporary restraining order try to stop the release of the report that details the alleged sexual misconduct and alleged drug use.
Again.
Gates was President Elect Trump's initial pick to run the Justice Department as Attorney General. Y'all are going to find it shocking what position I'm about to take, but I'm gonna take it. Considering all the things that Donald Trump was accused of and how the GOP fought to defend him, it's kind of ironic, dire, I say, hypocritical that they would do this to Gates. The GOP lead panel I'm talking about.
Don't you think.
Isn't there an air of inconsistency to defend Donald Trump while he was running for reelection so fervently?
Yeah, you're throwing Matt Gates under the bus.
I'm just talking to the GOP, the GOP lead panel I'm talking about.
That's all I'm saying.
I'm not absolving Gates from any shred of guilt. That's not where I'm going. I don't know the details. I'm gonna believe what they report. I'm just saying it's a little bit inconsistent. Having said that, to Matt Gates, it's called come up into my man.
That's what you're receiving.
Because you weren't just despised by the Democrats, despised by the GOP, your party.
They couldn't stand your ass. They don't like you.
Remember how you're forced Kevin McCarthy out. Remember that, Remember when during the Republican Convention Kevin McCarthy was doing an interview and you were behind him trolling him with the childishness. You already got him booted out or speak of the House. You already took care of that. But every chance you had to take a dig at him was something trivial. You didn't hesitate because you didn't like him. Well, there were a lot of people, likely on the GOP panel
that did like Kevin McCarthy. They did like some of the other Republicans that don't like you, and they said, this is an opportunity to get this dude, even if he's one of our own.
Think about that, and your Matt Gates.
See what I'm talking about when I talk about the importers of being the adult in.
The room, showing a level of class and decorum.
So you dissuade people from wanting to come at you to some degree, see what I mean. I'm not again, I don't know what happened. I don't know what you did with some seventeen year old I don't know about sex tapes or payments to people. I don't know any about this. I'm talking about your behavior with your contemporaries that was completely childish and unnecessary. That's what I'm talking about. And now they came back and got you. Now you stepped down from your position in the House because you
were supposed to be the top cop. Which brings me to Trump. Why would you even consider putting that man in the position where he was going to buy as the top cop.
In this nation be an attorney general. See, this is the concern that we should have with Donald Trump.
Because Matt Gates is a loyalist. He's somebody that supported you. But what about the qualifications. If it wasn't for Republicans, let you know, they weren't gonna vibe with that decision, Donald Trump would still have him trying to be the next United States Attorney general.
Why? Why to Pete hag Seth for Fox News, I see your work.
You work with one of my best buddies, Will Kine, used to work with me at ESPN's now over at Fox. I root for Will Cain all day every day. Pete hag Seth. They talk about you and some of your personal transgressions, alleged transgressions. That is, I don't know any of that, nor am I trying to talk about that. Handle your business. Here's my issue. You're a host on Fox News during the weekends.
Not even the weekday, the weekends.
Listen to me, Brandon, I'm talking to you. You're a Fox News host on the weekend. There's nothing inside. I know that you served in the military. I know that you served our country with honor and bravery by everything that I've read.
But you're a Fox News host.
And suddenly you think it's good that you are going to head the Department of Defense over three million employees.
You see, this is the problem. This is the problem.
We've got hundreds of qualified people out there who are Republicans who support Donald Trump and Donald Trump you're gonna.
Go with Pete access Really, that's what we're doing. Petxces man.
Come on, bro, Now, I understand the presidency is a different animal, and it's an elected position and as a result, you know, but you got the House, you got the Senate, you.
Got a cabinet, you got chief of staff, you got all of this stuff. This is the military, bro, This is the military.
You know, should we go to war with Iraq? What's up with Iran? Should we pull out of Ukraine? Should we continue to support him against Russia? The Israel Palestinian conflict involving Hamas and ultimately has a Balah, new leadership, new regime in Syria. I mean, we're supposed to look at you and say we're comfortable with you being one of the dudes in the president's air main dudes in the president's air as the guy running the Department of Defense.
I understand you serving in the cabinet in some capacity, but damn you just gonna wake up and run.
Three million people see this kind of stuff.
Be there's kind of stuff to make me hesitant, Betty, this kind of stuff Grift, this kind of stuff talking to my staff, this kind of stuff that makes me worry. That's what I'm talking about when I'm talking about Trump. That's what I'm talking about when I'm talking about some of the folks, some of the.
Folks in conservative media.
Never before in our lifetime would you have tolerated such decisions by an elected official when it came to their cabinet members. Forget the behavior, forget the allegations and the accusations.
I'm not getting in any of that.
Pete hak Saith, I'm sure he's very smart, very knowledgeable, obviously cares about this country.
His views might be different than a lot of people, but a lot of people agree with his views. I get that.
I'm only talking about going from being a host on Fox News.
On a Saturday to run in the department with three million people. That's our military.
In charge, overseeing generals and lieutenants and captains and everybody else in the front lines.
That is what worries me. That shit is scary.
That's what I mean when I talk about how Trump can scare the living daylights out of people and cause chaos.
You can't tell me that ain't a bunch.
Of people officially, resume wise, conspicuously more qualified than what Matt Gates brought to the table.
And what Pete Haig says.
And I'm not blumping the two because of their accusations. I'm lumping the two because of the qualifications on their resume.
Come on, y'all, come on, coming up.
Travis Hunter and his fiance continue to catch heat on social media. I'll get to that, but first, some Florida students are giving up parts of their weekend just.
To learn black history. I wonder why all that?
And more coming up right here on the steven A Smith Show, No Go Away. Okay, everybody, you know what time it is, right, It's toime for stephen A Sports Picks. Do you know how exciting this time of year is, especially for me? Obviously it's the holiday season, but we also got football, basketball, hockey, and every kind of college
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Download the afterday and use the code says to get fifty dollars instantly after you play your first five dollar lineup again, download the app and use the code sas to get fifty dollars instantly after your first five dollars lineup prize picks. Hey, run your game today. We have games for tonight's NBA Action. First up Sons guard Bradley Beal facing the Nuggets more or less than twenty eight and a half points, rebounds and assist.
For some reason, I'm going with less.
I mean the Bradley Bill that I see playing, That brother could drop twenty three points with no rebounds and no assist. You feel me, So I'm gonna go with less than this one.
It's not to throw any shade on the brother.
He can ball, but in the same breath, with his skill set, you would wish at times that he was a bit more active in other areas that you know could lead to wins for the Phoenix Suns.
They can't seem to know what the hell to do without Kevin Durant in the lineup. So that's the subject for another day.
We're gonna go with less on the particular answer to Bradley Beal's question. Right now, next up paces forward Pascal Siakam playing the Warriors more or less than thirty one points, rebounds and assist. It's Pascal Siakam. He's a versatile player and he's not one to mention it. He finds different ways to produce. When you say thirty one, hey, twenty one points, five assists, five rebounds, something like that, He's capable of doing that, more than capable of doing that,
and I think he will. I'm going with more as a particular answer to this question.
More for Pascal Siakam.
Next up Warriors three points specialists. The greatest shooter God has ever created, The one and only Steph Curry facing the Indiana Paces more or less than thirty five and a half points, rebounds and assists.
He's the greatest shooter God ever created.
He recently had a bad game where he has scored field Go for the first time in like ten years. He saw what happened the very next game when he put on the show. Right, that's Steph Curry we're talking about here, and that will continue. He's gonna have more points, rebounds, sistent thirty five and a half.
We going more with the babyface assassin. Right even in.
His thirties, that thirty five, thirty six years old, the brother still got a baby face.
That's who he is. Lastly, we got.
Denver Nuggets forward Jamal Murray going up against the Phoenix Suns more or less than thirty and a half.
Points, rebounds and assist. I'm gonna go with more.
I'd like to see Murray in better shape, better conditioning. Understanding this a bit compromising the times because he's had knee injuries and all of this other stuff going on with him.
We get that part.
But if this brother, the better shape he's in, the more damage he can do because he's got a game and he makes big tim shots. He ain't scared of a damn thing. I'm a fan of Jamal Murray. I'm gonna go with more on this. I think he's gonna do just fine. Okay, that's it. You heard me to recap. You see what I said. I got less with Bradley Beal more on everybody else, Bradley Bial. All that means is that you got to step your game up. That's not saying you don't have the game. My brother is
saying you do. Just give him more of.
It to us. That's what we like in prospects. I'm sure you can relate. Welcome back to Stephen A. Smith Show.
Before I get into the next story involving the Florida school system, just as in aside, I just wanted y'all to take a moment to pause.
And you know, no punt intended.
This is the Christmas decorations behind me, and you know there's a fireplace behind me. There's certainly no connection. I don't want it to be taken that way, but let me say this. Governor Kathy Hochel for the state of New York on Sunday morning, tweeted about how crime crimes are down in the subway systems of New York City. Yet a few hours later, some homeless woman was burnt
to death. Now that's not her fault, but you see what happens when you open your mouth, you're giving the impression that things are so much safer, when in fact that may not necessarily be the case. And I'm not one of those people that's gonna just spew all in progressive cities as opposed to conservative cities or anything like that, because we got problems all over the country. But when
the Trump administration comes in. If you see a fixation on law and order, on dissipating the numbers as it pertains to crime, to making sure that people are safer in the streets, and we resemble a police state, think about something like this, because again I'm not necessarily blaming Kathy Hochel, but it's just something to pay attention to. Sometimes it's best to be quiet. Yes, both things can be true. Crime could be in the subways, and yet that could still happen.
I understand that. But we got to stop being so eager to prove.
That our politics are on point and that we're the way you should go when clearly there are holes in that argument that could be exposed every single day.
I just wanted to throw that out there. I just wanted to.
Throw that out there because as a native New Yorker who grew up riding the E and the F train every damn day, I have never seen the subway system in New York and still such fear and patrons and New York City citizens the way that it does now.
Ever, Ever, even when there was a vigilante.
Loose back in the seventies, that's how bad it is now.
Just want to throw that out there, just want to throw that.
Out Let me get to my next subject, because I want to get to this story. I noticed out of the state of Florida this week and from the Associated Press. Did y'all know there are students who are giving up their Saturday mornings to learn about Black history. It's happening at the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum in Delray Beach and at other community centers.
Across the state.
School district officials across Florida told the AP that they're still following the state mandate.
To teach about the experience of slavery.
Abolition and the many contributions of African Americans to society. However, a common complaint from students and parents is that the instruction seems limited to heroic figures like Martin Luther King, Junior Rosa Parks. The curriculum rarely extends beyond Black History Month. This we all know now, If y'all remember, we.
Got to look at.
Several things when it comes to story like this. First of all, I applored the.
Students for giving up this Saturday mornings.
I applaud the teachers for making that time available to students so they can learn more about black history. I mean, when we think about things the lynchings, when we think about segregation that still shapes the landscape, at how grassroots activists mobilized to make times better for all of us, particularly African Americans in this country.
And just looking at this article from the Associated Press.
I'm just thinking about a couple of things it says here talk about Florida developed its own Black History tool kit last year. More than four hundred congregations have pledged to teach the lessons. The advocacy group orn AVAC groups stated Florida required public schools to teach African American history for the past thirty years in case y'all didn't know, but many families no longer trust the state's education system that adequately addressed the subject. I wonder why that is.
Could it be Governor Iron de Santis. Could it be that he's the reason why faith has been lost in terms of things being taught about black history.
I'd say so.
One could easily argue that DeSantis, who won the gubernatorial seat his reelection bid quite convincingly, I might add, fell off when he started talking about teachings in the school system and how there were certain teachings that he wanted to eradicate, and we have to remember that. We have
to pay attention to that because that matters. Remember, you had advocates under fire by the administration of Republican Governor Iron de Santis at the time, who had championed efforts to restrict how race history and discrimination were.
Talked about in the state's public schools system.
Desantus, according to the article in AP, had led attacks on wokeness and education at rallied conservatives nationwide, including President of Alec Donald Trump.
The year was twenty twenty two.
The governor signed the law quote restricting certain race based conversations and schools and businesses, and prohibits teaching that members of one ethnic group should feel guilty or bear responsibility for actions taking by previous generations. So, in other words, because you're born white in this day and age, obviously you aren't on this earth during the time of slavery.
You aren't a slave owner.
You didn't commit any lynchings, you didn't hang anyone, you didn't name anyone, you didn't rape anyone, you didn't murder anybody. You bear no responsibility towards what your ancestors did. That's what Ron DeSantis's position was. My question is this.
Fair enough?
What does that have to do with making sure that African Americans in this nation are educated and made aware of what past transgressions took place that still affect them to this very day.
We live.
In a predominantly white society in the United States of America. The numbers have dissipated. Once upon a time it was eighty five to ninety percent white. Now the number is dipped last time I checked a few months ago to fifty seven point four percent in dwindling. Byt the year twenty thirty, the US Census Bureau report says that the Hispanic populace in this country will have exceeded more than thirty plus percent, if not more. Obviously, the black population
is about thirteen to fourteen percent. So when we look at that, and we look at how things have been politicized, and we recognize the power of the Hispanic vote, one could easily surmize that at some point in time, if numbers were not curtailed, that the Hispanic population may measure.
Up to, if not eclipse, that of the white populace in this country.
You don't think that has anything to do with people being concerned about the borders.
Are we all blind, deaf and dumb here? We know it does.
And when you take that into consideration and you see the focus.
On immigration, you can connect the dots.
Why am I bringing that up because when we talk about black history and being educated about the transgressions of white folks in America back in the day, what you want to do, if you're on the is to make sure you show no correlation between.
What happened in the past and what happens now.
My response to that would be, well, just because things aren't as conspicuous and obvious as they once were, do you summarily dismiss the notion that to some degree it could exist today when you consider the disparity and the incarcerated, where you consider a documentary like thirteen on Netflix by the great Ava DuVernay and was talking about how the penal system served to imprison and dare we say enslave in abundance of people. Think about those kind of things.
When we think about corporate America today, who holds the power? When we think about the banking system with loans and things of that nature, housing businesses, etc. All of these things come into play. You don't have to have somebody in chains and hitting them with whips and doing things of that nature in order for them to feel enslaved, not literally, of course, but figuratively speaking. You entrap the mind. The body ultimately follows.
As they say.
So, if you're Ron DeSantis and you made a concerted effort entering the presidential election to make this a point that you wanted to discuss so much so when we had people out there saying there were benefits to slavery, let me ask you, thet people saying this, what are folks supposed to think about? What your ultimate objective was? If you don't teach people about history, they'll never know.
If they never know, then they can't hold those accountable, nor can they make any correlation to those who might still be of like minded thinking at the very least, and you might be able to play a role in highlighting and dissecting and noticing where they stand.
Because history teaches us all. You don't want certain groups favored.
Fair enough, then why not just let history be taught and move out the way. And why not make sure they all teach on an exceptional level instead of twelve out of like sixty seven different schools getting a good grade while the rest of us for by the wayside the fact that this is happening in the state of Florida, I believe it's a good thing.
I want to applaud the teachers.
I want to applaud the students who are attending these classes. I want to applaud anybody who wants to know about the dark history associated with slavery and indebted servitude. I appreciate that we can talk about it, we can have discussions about it. I have no problem with any white person saying I have nothing to do with that, even though some may beg to differ because it's your ancestors.
I get all of that.
By the way, black folks sold black folks into slavery.
Let's not let anybody off the hook here. I'm simply saying, when you try to act as if it's not something that should be taught, when you try to act as if you would prefer that it's not even discussed, that's very incriminating, if for no other reason that it's incredibly suspicious with all the problems that we got going on in this world, that the governor at least over a year ago had made such a concerted effort to derail edifying and educating youngsters on a come up who happened
to be black and wanted to know about their history.
I'm just saying it's.
A good thing that this is happening, because folks associated with the Florida school system.
Is adamant.
That I history should never be forgotten, nor should it ever be erased. It builds alligated skin a level of intestinal forty two.
For me personally, that level of insight.
Strengthens my resolve because when I'm able to look at my ancestors and I'm able to say they had to overcome that, what the hell am I wanting and moaning about what I have to deal with now is nothing compared to what they have to deal with. And that, Sir, is what enables me to look at individuals on the content of their character.
As a posed.
To judging folks strictly by the color of their skin and castigating everyone collectively instead of car park instead of compartmentalizing and recognizing that's not the right thing to do.
Just the thought for you all to consider. Coming up.
The first round of the college football playoffs kicked off to mix.
The reviews this weekend, and I'm not a fan. I'll tell you why.
Also, Travis Hunter deactivates his Instagram account as more people weighing on his relationship with this Beyonce.
All that and more coming up. Stick around. It's the stephen A. Smith Show you're watching.
And listening to right here the digital areas, YouTube and iHeartRadio backward.
A final sentiment in a minute, I need all of you to stop what you're doing right now and listen.
Up here at the stephen A. Smith Show. And then everything I do, I'm in it to win it. Everyone likes to win.
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Run your game.
Welcome back to Steven Ate Smith Show. Now let's get some college football. With the first round of the newly formated playoffs kicked off this weekend, and I'm not gonna front I ain't happy about it.
I'm gonna let y'all know that right now.
Right take a look at the current bracket after the first round this weekend, Texas beat Clemson, Ohio State blue out, Tennessee beat him down, Penn State romped SMU, and know the Dame handled their business against Indiana. Now, the problem I have here is the automatic bids for.
The conference champions.
See, I gotta get my fan, Kirk Kurvetreet some props my colleague at ESPN College Football Game Day. Plus he did, he did, he called the game Ohio State that night as well, when they beat down Tennessee forty two to seventeen. Kirk Curveshet made a very very valid point with this.
One of the things that we should.
Really appreciate about this new twelve team college football playoff format is that I'm very happy it increased for four teams. I have no problem with the twelve teams.
Here's the issue. An automatic top four bid goes to.
College a conference champion who's ranked highest amongst the conference champions. Well, what if you're a conference champion, then you ranked tenth, why should.
You have a top four seed.
What if you ranked eighth, why should you have a top three or two seed. That shouldn't be the case, because what we have now is Ohio State beats out, beats down Tennessee, and now they got to go up against Oregon, who's the number one team in the nation, in the quarterfinals. Last time we saw them against each other in Oregon early in the.
Season, they beat Ohio State thirty two to thirty one in the last minute of the game.
Everybody was looking forward to that as a potential national championship matchup. If Ohio State had handled their business now I listen, I've been on the record, and by the way, I had to go at my buddy Kirk Curshet or Friendly. I love the God Dally, respect the hell out of him and Chris Fowler do a great job calling college football games.
For ESPN and ABC.
But I had to get at them because they misquoted me. They were talking about I wanted Ryan Day fired. That's not exactly what I said.
You know what I'm saying. They pulled a conservative media joint.
From Fox News from Another Day, Okay, because that's something they did.
Here's a deal.
I said that Ryan Day, the head coach for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
He can't get bounced out by Tennessee. He gotta lose his job. You can't lose four straight to Michigan.
And then go and get beat by Tennessee in the first round and think you get to keep your job being at the Ohio State. He's sixty six now sixty seven to ten as a head coach.
Here's a phenomenal record. We know he could coach his butt off. Here's the reality.
Jim Tressel won there Urban Maya when the one there. When Ryan Day got the job, they haven't won a national championship, they haven't won the Big Ten since twenty twenty, and you got four straight losses to Michigan. When you get the Ohio State job, your job is two full beat Michigan and make sure you could beat for national championships. When you couple that with the fact that Ryan Day had a twenty million dollar roster twenty million ounds twenty million ounds, okay via nil, and you.
Combine that with the fact.
That eleven NFL caliber players that's what they said, returned to the squad for the twenty twenty fourth season.
What possible excuse could you.
Have not winning, not beating Michigan, not winning the Big Ten title, and.
Not compete for national championship. We get anybody, coach all stand do that now. I want to be very clear. I've heard that Ryan Days had it rough.
You got police outside his house, you got people threatening them and his family, You've got it don't look very good. I understand their rabbit fans that don't know how to act like they have some damn sense and it's gonna mess with people. So I got that part and I'm sensitive to that, all right, that that's something that I got tipped off about this this afternoon. I gotta understand,
so I'm gonna be mindful of that. But what I'm saying is getting the job at the Ohio State comes with two primary responsibilities because you know they're gonna have the money, and you know they're gonna have to roster.
You gotta beat Michigan at least some of the time.
Can't losing them four straight years, and you got to compete for national title.
So that's a problem.
Well, they handled their business against Tennessee and that puts them in a position to lose to Oregon, and losing the Oregon ain't no shame in the number one ranked team in the nation. So we get that part in Ohio State has deemed a team that can beat them, so we get all of that.
But in the end, SMU.
Tennessee, Indiana, the way they got handled by Notre Dame kind of ruined the first year of the playoffs with some degree because getting back to what Kirk Herbstreet, my colleague at ESPN and ABC, had said, he was saying, Hey, guys, forget who's most deserving, take the best.
So if you know that Georgia and Alabama or Georgia is already in it.
But Alabama, oh miss South Carolina is better.
Than these other teams.
Like a SMU or in Indiana, he's saying, Nah, come playoff time, we gotta pick the team that we know is the best.
Now, that's a troubling situation for me.
And here's why, y'all because in football, unlike basketball, you don't get to play everybody. You can only play the schedule that's in front of you. So I understand how unfair that could be. You Florida State, last year, you twelve or so and you don't get picked for the college football playoffs.
That's unfortunate, U SMU.
You were eleven and one this year and they had if they hadn't picked you, that would be unfortunate. But the eye test has to matter. And if we see a team that we just know, look they ain't better, we gotta pick the best teams for the college football playoffs, then.
That's what the hell we gotta do.
Because Indiana was listen, their coach talked a lot of smack on College Football Game Day Top twenty five. We don't just beat them, we kicked the ass. And then that night he went out and got his ass by no to Dame.
I mean, that's a problem.
We can't have, you know, the Georgias versus the TCUs for the national championship game. We can't have, you know, a team like Georgia who didn't make the playoffs last year going up against Florida State who also didn't make it, and Florida State don't set half their team to the bowl game and they get trounced sixty three to three.
We can't have stuff like that in the college football playoffs.
We can't have teams that we look at and we can see clearly they don't necessarily belong with the krim Dela crime from another conference. It's just that the other team that was a krem Dela crin from the other conferences to win.
Their conference championship.
They're playing the conference championship game, so they get to get punished. We gotta make sure that we got the best twelve teams in the nation, not the most desired, Okay, the best. We can't be shy about this, we just can't be.
I'm sorry.
Kirkhurve Street is absolutely right. You want the best teams in the nation in the damn conference and if all of them. Got to come from the big ten in the SEC, and you gotta peel one from the SEC or the.
Or you know, the big twelve or something. So be it. You gotta do something.
You can't have these rough riders, these dogs, watching inferior teams shoot for a national title when you know those teams can't shine their damn shoes. Got to pick the best teams. Gotta pick the best teams. Now, let's get to some quick hitters before I get to your tweets.
Jayden Daniels. That's quick hitter number one.
Takes since the Washington DC where Daniels came up clutch for the Washington Commanders.
Against the Philadelphia Eagles. The rookie quarterback snatch.
Victory from the george of defeat late in the game with a nine yard touchdown pass the Jamison Crowder. The Commanders won thirty six thirty three, this white turning the ball over five times.
Jadon Dais was the best player in football this weekend.
He was absolutely sensational, but he got help by Jalen Hurts catching a concussion because the Philadelphia Eagles were initially up twenty one to seven before they got outscored twenty nine to twelve. The rest of the way, I think if Jalen Hurts is in the lineup instead of Kenny Pickett, they moved the ball better. They make things happen, and as a result, Jayden Daniels in the Washington Commanders would't have been a position to win this game. But give
them credit where credit is due. Daniels is that dude. He can ball.
But I think the.
Philadelphia Eagles would have been better if Jalen Hurts hadn't gotten hurt, and I don't think the Commanders would have won that game. We'll stay in the belt wait for a quick hitter number two. On Saturday night, I was on hand to watch Steelers fall to the Baltimore Ravens thirty four to seventeen in Baltimore. By the way, I was a guest of Maryland Governor Wes Moore, who talked smack to me the entire damn gun. Can't believe a governor talk like that. I mean, look at this video right here.
Man. The guy was torturing me. I mean he was torched me all Saturday afternoon. He was talking, Ravens gonna stop, y'all. We got this, and my goodness, this man was.
This man was slapping high fives, kissing babies, doing all the things that a politician do.
And in the midst of all of.
That turned around the talks back to me about what the Ravens gonna do to the Steelers, and then Russell Wilson and the Steelers let him do it.
And Dryland look, and we got the things you ain't got.
Name the para's um, we got Steep, the name that lasten, you know, Miss Maryland, missus Barlord.
They just raising Tarl's ain't God, let's y'all, that's some trouble. Na. I love Farylyns, I love the gum, and I love the job, and they George. But that don't mean, y'all that's leaning, says Day. I'm gonna be clear about that, y'all.
A little bit of Trump right now, Lamar Jackson, Larry send me, they got some detection.
Let's go right, let's go range.
First of all, that's a dedicated politician right there, because ladies and gentlemen, it was about five degrees out there. That's how I feel. It's freezing. It's freezing. I ain't prepared for that kind of cold. No more, right, I like warm temperatures. I don't like to feel warm and cozy and cuddling inside, right, I ain't trying to be out there freezing, and it was cold as hell.
Let us get that out the way.
For he got on a baseball cap, you know, chilling. You understand he was beefed uping over he got on a baseball cap.
Doing this thing. But I was very, very happy to spend time with the governor.
He's a great guy that he's got a chance to be president in the twenty twenty eight.
Look at the job that he's doing in Maryland.
Look at the job Brandon Scott, the mayor of Baltimore, is doing in Baltimore, Maryland. I can't say enough about them brothers. I spent time with both of them Saturday. It was an absolute honor and pleasure to be with the both of them. Even though the governor he really talks a lot of stuff. He really really darned me. This brother talked a lot of stuff. Steelers gotta get him, They gotta get him back. That damn Russell Wilson forver to the three yard line.
Who I was ticked off?
Okay, and they didn't have my man, George pickens out there that was problematic as well.
Okay, all right, and Russell Wilson threw a pick six, let's not forget that.
But in the end, the story was Lamar Jackson who beat the Steelers complete fifteen to twenty three passes, three touchdowns, and of course Derek Henry who ran all over Pittsburgh for one hundred.
And seat y'all, it is what it is.
Baltimore's gonna win a AFC North because the Steelers have the Chiefs and the Bengals to close out the season. Baltimore has Houston and Cleveland, I mean Dan, and they got it good.
They got a good. Let me get to my next one quick hit a number three.
This takes us to social media and Travis Hunter for far more serious subject the dismand Trophy went to deactivated his Instagram account as online criticism continues about his relationship with his fiancee, Leanna Lenay. One notable post came from former Dallas Cowboys wide out Dez Grant in a sense deleted tweet, this is what Daz wrote.
Quote, she talked all that shit about.
You, saying she was going to address the situation once but kept talking about it. She loves the attention way more than you. She thinks she's an equal to you. I can tell you're a great dude, and I promise there's a woman out there who's going to make your life easy and respect you. From what I see, she has nothing to offer but a fucking headache.
End quote.
This is tricky, and this is not It's gonna be a little bit more than a quick hitter.
Let me tell you.
Why Daz Bryant's heart is in the right place. Let's get that out the way. He's an older brother looking at a younger brother potentially in a dicey kind of situation, his future being bright on every major award you can imagine, including the Heisman, Sky's the Limit, future millions coming down the pike, and Dez, a former star football player for the Dallas Cowboys, is simply looking at the brother and saying and doing what he can to help give him guidance.
I'm not here to throw any shade on des Brian. His heart was in the right place, but it doesn't mean that the situation doesn't require compassion. If I were Dez or me talking to Dez, hear what is what I would have preferred he did called her out respectfully by saying, where's the love? Stop thinking about just you and look out for him. You're choosing to be in
the public eye because you're on social media. This brother is in a public eye because he plays on the football field as one of the elite performers out there in his career is about to take off.
Look out for him.
It's not to say that she did anything intentionally to go the other way. I don't believe that about Leana one second. And I don't want to hear anything about anything that she may have done years ago. And she said she's a young lady. Come on, y'all, you understand what I'm saying. She ain't some seasoned, grown woman whose experienced in her life and you know, manipulating things.
And she's a young lady.
Mistakes happen, So I'm not here to criticize her, certainly not here to criticize Travis Hunter. I support Chador Sanders coming to the defense of his teammate, you know, and clapping back at everybody. This is Shador Sanders tweet. All y'all athletes entertained as artists, et cetera. If y'all genuinely trying to holler at trap y'all know how to get in touch with him or someone around At this point, y'all just posted for the algorithm trying to look cool.
Shador Sanders is right, Travis Hunter plays for Primetime Deon Sanders. They're ain't an athlete or an entertainer in this country that don't know how to get in touch with Primetime Deon Sanders.
And you could get to Travis Hunter.
You don't have to sit up there and blast them out on social media.
He's a young man.
There's me, everybody else included. When we were there, what kind of mistakes did we make? What kind of mistakes will be prone to? Let's have some compassion when it comes to trying to look out. Our hearts are in the right place. Here's what I would tell you if you Travis.
Hunter and Leanna Linney.
I applaud the fact that you can't chase your social.
Media accounts because you're not built for it.
See, Travis Hunter can take criticism about his play on the football field. What he can't take is the cynicism throne in the direction of his lady, who's taking a lot of heat. She clearly can't take it because she was on social media about to break down and cry, and he can't take what she's experiencing. So the fact that y'all close down your social media account is a good thing, you know why, because it will remind you that you never needed to be on it to that
degree in the first place. Your personal life is your personal life. Football is one thing, your personal life is another. And that applies to her too. You ain't got to have everybody know you. He knows you.
You don't have to have everybody loving you. He loves you.
You don't have to have everybody cared about you and your well being.
He does.
And as long as y'all got each other and you keep your business to yourself, and people won't have much to say. And even if they did, it won't matter because they don't know because you didn't let him know. Please remember that, pretty please with sugar on top. One final quick hit, it takes us to Alaska, where President elect Donald Trump is expected to reverse a decision from President Obama to rename the Nali North America's tallest mountain.
Trump says he'll restore the original name of Mount McKinley, named after the twenty fifth president, who was assassinated in nineteen oh one. Trump said, quote, they took his name off Mount McKinley.
He was a great president. End quote.
Former President Barack Obama renamed the mountain as Thenaley in twenty fifteen, siding with residents of Alaska after a decade's.
Long name in battle.
See this is another thing that bothers me about Trump. Why bother with something like this?
Why so you really really care about the naming of a mountain? Donald Trump? Really?
Now President McKinley, God rest his soul, like you pointed out, was assassinated. Reports said that he hadn't even visited Alaska. Why was he such a figure for Donald Trump? Because he was big on tariffs and tariffs given the US economy an economic boom?
Could that be the reason why? If it is Donald Trump, say so.
As opposed to it looking like you're just interested in doing anything to.
Reverse that Barack Obama made.
Barack Obama made that decision to rename that mountain because the citizens in Alaska wanted it that way, and he didn't see any harm in doing so, because they know their history better than anybody, and that's what they preferred. If you're going to change it back, great President, tell us why he was about tariffs.
I'm about tariffs? Is that a reason to change the name of a mountain? I'm just asking.
These are the kind of things I worry about with Donald Trump, because any little thing.
You're going at for what save your swings for the things that really, really, really matter. That's my suggestion. That's what I'm concerned about.
Let's take a look at some of your tweets before I get on out of here.
Okay, let's go right here. Let's go right here with it. Let's see what you got at cats silliness. Right, stephen A.
Smith, what is your most favorite part about Christmas? I love if it's Christmas Day and it's snowing and the snow is coming down, the white snow is falling. I'm not talking about once it lands in the street and cars driving by and white turns to brown.
That's all nasty looking slush. I'm not talking about that.
I'm talking about white snow descending from the clouds.
I love that.
I love Christmas Eve, the night before Christmas, when little kids are looking forward to waking up to open their presence and you're hearing the Christmas carols and the Christmas music and all of that stuff.
Drinking some eggnog and all of that stuff. The spirit of Christmas touches me. I do like it.
It's not being really celebratory for me at this stage of point in my life, cause I'm Santa Claus, so I'm the one buying everybody everything, you understand saying, So it gets on my damn last nervese because it invades my pockets and I'll be daying if it. Anybody's buying me a bunch of stuff. So I'm Santa Claus. I'm giving gifts, but I ain't getting any, Okay. So that's a problem. Okay, But in the end for the good of the kids, because Stevie A love the kids, he
sure does. Certainly you like the Christmas carols, you like the Christmas spirit, like Christmas songs, so I'll go with that. Next up at abashe underscore writes, what was the best Christmas gift you ever received as a kid?
Are you ready for this? I'm about twelve years.
Old and my sister Linda was unemployed at the time.
She got injured.
She lost her job, so that was one Christmas she couldn't afford to actually go out and buy a bunch of gifts for people. But she went out and got her little baby brother a gift. Actually it was two gifts. Are y'all ready for this? Actually I'm fifty seven, so we talked about forty five years ago.
She got me a box of Captain crunch cereal and some cheese doodos.
That's what she got for me, and I've been eating them ever since all my life.
You understand, I don't.
Know if it was called crunchberries back then or whatever it was, but I had both and I never forgot that. Love your sis. Appreciate you. Next up what you got? This is the last one, hey, Stephen. And my wife wants her boyfriend to be in a family Christmas photo. But I told her, now, hold on, let me be he My wife wants her boyfriend.
That's where you lost me. If she's your wife, what the hell is doing she's doing with a boyfriend. But I'll get back to that.
My wife wants her boyfriend to be in a family Christmas photo, but I told her, no, I'm fine with her having a boyfriend, but him being in the family Christmas photo is where I draw the line. She got all upset and now she won't even talk to me.
What's your thoughts? Why are you married? Why are you married?
I mean, I don't know where you're living, Utah or someplace like that. I don't know whether the polygamy is going well. I don't know what that was going on. But here's what I do know. She wants her boyfriend in a picture you don't, and rather than being sensitive to your feelings, she's pissed off that the boyfriend ain't gonna be in the family Christmas photo. A matter of fact, she's so pissed off she won't even talk to you.
You know what that means, right? That means she wants him, not you.
What you should ask her is would she be as upset if you weren't in the picture and he was. That might solidify for you. Your wife has a boyfriend. That's enough solidification for your ass. But as I read this here, see this ain't a quick take. Let me educate the fellas about something I When a woman wants you, it's not enough that she wants you.
You need to know why does she want you? Because you pay the bills?
Okay, she's about security and safety, but it don't mean she wants you. It means she wants what you provide. Does a woman want you because you make her laugh? That's very important because when you can make a woman laugh, that has a profound impact. That's something that stays with her. That's a good thing when you're putting the damn right. Does she want you because of that? That matters too, because chances are and I'm just speculating.
That last part that I just brought up, does what the boyfriend's doing instead of a husband, which is why she's mad at you and won't even talk to you, which is why I asked you, would she feel the same if.
It were reversed and you weren't in the picture but he was. That's what you need to find out, my brother, You right here, You need to find out if she would be equally as upset if he were in the picture and you weren't. If the answer to that is no, she's with you for some other ancillary reason outside of passion and desire.
Because this Steward right here, he handling that thoroughly.
You feel me. You find out what the hell it is about him and whether or not you got it, and if she confirms it. You got to leave us because you don't mean much. If what I'm saying is true. That's from the heart to all men out there. And it ain't just about being wanted by your woman. It's about why she wants you. And if there isn't a passion and a desire.
For you, leave.
Because her days with you are gonna be numbered anyway. It's just a matter who gonna leave first. If it ain't you, this damn sure gonna be her.
That's it for this addition to stephen A.
Smithshaw, we gonna wave goodbye, and that one