Brown Bag it, Baby
July 26,Astros Minor League Recap, 2014Stephen A. Smith addresses controversial domestic violence comments (Video)
July 25, 2014 By
Stephen A. Smith created a firestorm with his comments about domestic violence on ESPN s First Take Friday and was moved to clarify his point via Twitter.
During a discussion with co-host Skip Bayless about domestic violence in light of the Ray Rice suspension, Smith, while emphasizing that there is never an excuse for a man hitting a woman and that those who do deserve to be in jail, said he wants women to also work on doing what they can to avoid provoking violent situations.
Let s make sure we don t do anything to provoke wrong actions let s try to make sure that we can do our part in making sure that doesn t happen, Smith said of the message he wants women to heed.
Now you got some dudes that are just horrible that are going to do it anyway and there s never an excuse to put your hands on a woman. But domestic violence with men putting their hands on women is obviously a very real issue in our society. And I think just talking about what guys shouldn t do we gotta also make sure that you can do your part to make sure it doesn t happen.
Smith s comments sparked outrage among many,Chiefs training camp- Injury , including prominent ESPN host Michelle Beadle.
Here s what Beadle tweeted after hearing Smith s comments:
So I was just forced to watch this morning s First Take. A) I ll never feel clean again I m now aware that I can provoke my own beating.
Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle)
I m thinking about wearing a miniskirt this weekend I d hate to think what I d be asking for by doing so .
Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle)
I was in an abusive relationship once. I m aware that men women can both be the abuser. To spread a message that we not provoke is wrong
Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle)
Violence isn t the victim s issue. It s the abuser s. To insinuate otherwise is irresponsible and disgusting. Walk. Away.
Michelle Beadle (@MichelleDBeadle)
Smith, feeling his point was lost and that his message was distorted, felt the need to clarify his point via Twitter. Here s what he said:
This will be a long tweeted message,SAN DIEGO- 'Blacklist' fans get black fedoras at Comic_1, folks. So please stay with me and let me finish my complete thought before responding b/c i m ANNOYED
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
In discussing the Ray Rice ruling earlier today on , me and ventured into discussing domestic violence.
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
Upon hearing what I had to say, although admitting I could ve been more articulate on the matter, let me be clear: I don t understand how on
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
earth someone could interpret that I somehow was saying women are to blame for domestic violence. And when I saw a
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
colleague I have profound respect for tweet what she tweeted, enough is enough. Something needs to be said right now. REPEATEDLY i said:
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
There is absolutely no excuse to put your hands on a women. REPEATEDLY, I said dudes who do that need to be dealt with. REPEATEDLY, I echoed
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
when confronted by it in the past when someone was stupid enough to touch a loved one of this man, raised by 4 older sisters, a mom and
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
numerous female relatives and loved ones, that man was dealt with. From that point, I simply asked: now what about the other side.
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
If a man is pathetic and stupid enough to put his hands on a woman which I have NEVER DONE, btw of course he needs to pay the price.
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
Who on earth is denying that? But what about addressing women on how they can help prevent the obvious wrong being done upon them?
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
In no way was I accusing a women of being wrong. I was simply saying what that preventive measures always need to be addressed because
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
there s only but so much that can be done after the fact .once the damage is already done. Nothing more. My apologies to
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
And any woman out there who misconstrued what I said. I have always and will always find violence against a women every bit as
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
horrific as women, themselves, find it. Always have. Always will, which my personal behavior exemplifies. I ll strive to be more articulate
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
in the future. But be clear, I wasn t BLAMING women for anything. I was simply saying to take all things into consideration for preventative
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
purposes. Period.
Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith)
After sending all the tweets, Smith later chose to send one statement in which he did not reiterate the previous points he was trying to make.
Here s what he said:
My series of tweets a short time ago is not an adequate way to capture my thoughts so I am using a single tweet via Twitlonger to more appropriately and effectively clarify my remarks from earlier today about the Ray Rice situation. I completely recognize the sensitivity of the issues and the confusion and disgust that my comments caused. First off, as I said earlier and I want to reiterate strongly, it is never OK to put your hands on a women. Ever. I understand why that important point was lost in my other comments, which did not come out as I intended. I want to state very clearly. I do NOT believe a woman provokes the horrible domestic abuses that are sadly such a major problem in our society. I wasn’t trying to say that or even imply it when I was discussing my own personal upbringing and the important role the women in my family have played in my life. I understand why my comments could be taken another way. I should have done a better job articulating my thoughts and I sincerely apologize.