On Tuesday, Stephen A. Smith issued a second apology for his bigoted comments about Shohei Ohtani and the Nigerian men’s basketball team.
Stephen A. Smith began the Tuesday morning edition of ESPN’s First Take with a sincere apology to the Asian and Nigerian communities.
In the segment, Smith offered “an apology that is from me, from the heart, not from the network, not from anybody else, just me. Not something handed down to me to say something on the airwaves, because I alone messed up.”
Here’s the full video of Smith’s second apology to Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani, the Nigerian men’s basketball team, their families and communities.
In case you missed Smith’s first apology, we recapped that here.
What did Stephen A Smith say this morning?
Smith went on to say that it doesn’t matter what his opinions or his intentions were. “What matters is that I messed up and that I intend to learn and listen to people in those communities to better understand their perspectives on their culture, on language, on marketability, you name it.”
Of course, he quickly brought it back to the bigger picture conversation his racist remarks generated.
“I sincerely hope that my mistake helps push the conversation forward to educate people out there on these issues and many others. Obviously, myself will be included in that.”
Later on First Take, ESPN analyst Jeff Passan gave Smith a schooling on the values we as a sports community must uphold.
“Shohei Ohtani came to this country at 23 years old,” Passan said. “He left behind his family, he left behind his culture, he left behind his country. He left behind everything he knows to go and pursue the American Dream. He wanted to come here and be great. He is the sort of person who this show, this network, and this country should embrace.”