The Stephen A. Smith ShowFull Show: QB Aaron Rodgers fired coach drama. J Lo gets divorce advice from Stephen A. The Black Man's Vote Matters.
Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
Stephen A. discusses the firing of New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Davonte Adams’ future with the Las Vegas Raiders with NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter. He interviews political commentator Roland Martin about the importance of the Black male vote in the upcoming presidential election, discusses comments made by Phoenix Suns Bradley Beal on the “Run Your Race” podcast, the upcoming beltway matchup between the Washington Commanders and the Baltimore Ravens, and gives props to the NHL for its historic hiring of the first female coach. In the WNBA he discusses the Minnesota Lynx making it to the Finals to take on the New York Liberty, and Jennifer Lopez’s comments about the end of her marriage to Ben Affleck.
On The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith gives you his renowned point of view, breaking barriers beyond the world of sports, and tackling pertinent issues across entertainment, pop culture, society, business, and politics. Three times a week, you'll hear his LIVE unfiltered opinions on the day's biggest headlines as well as straight-shooting interviews with top celebrities, game-changers, and thought leaders across the societal arena. The Stephen A. Smith Show is sure to entertain, inform, and motivate anyone who tunes in.
What's up, everybody. Welcome to the latest edition of The stephen A. Smith Show, coming at you as I love to do over the digital airways of YouTube and of course iHeartRadio. As always, to take a moment to pause and give major props and thanks to my subscribers and followers. We're now approaching eight hundred and seventy seven thousand subscribers at the time of this taping. Obviously, we've eclipsed over three million downloads on iHeartRadio as well. Can't thank y'all enough for the love and support. Keep it coming, and I'm gonna keep on coming, all right. To make sure to continue to like the show and follow the show. Just click the bell and you too shall be the latest member of the stephen A. Smith Show family. And while doing that, make sure to pick up a copy of my New York Time's best selling book, Straight Shooter, a Memoir of Second Chances and First Takes, now in paperback. Go to Straight Shooter book dot com to check it out. Once again, that's create you the book dot com to get yourself a copy of my New York Times best selling memoir. Obviously, it wouldn't be a best seller if y'all ain't go out and buy it, so thank you again for that as well. Gotta get started with some NFL stuff. Basketball season is rapidly approaching. I'm gonna really step up my basketball stuff in the days and the weeks to come. That's gonna go non stop when it comes to talking about the NBA. But we're gonna start off today's show with the NFL and the New York Jets, who fired head coach Robert Sala on his fourth season after a two and three start in a twenty and thirty six overall record. They've named defensive coordinator Jeff Oldbridge as the interim head coach. The Jets have now leveraged their future on old Bridge, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who many blamed for Sala's departure. Now, despite the two and three starting, the upheaval and the coaching ranks, the Jets have a chance to play for first place in the AFC East when they take on the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. Let me say this real quick, I'm not blaming Aaron Rodgers for Robert Salad getting fired. I'm blaming Robert Sala for getting fired. But what I will tell you is this, for Aaron Rodgers to act like he was shocked and surprised and had absolutely nothing to do with it, that's just impossible to believe. It's just impossible to believe. Not saying he went and called him to be fired, but your body language on your sideline, your body language with him, your level of frustration that you're exhibiting the way that you've been playing, which is not up to your standards, combined with Robert Salah, who was elite defensively because the Jets are a top notch defense in the National Football League, so he had a lot to do with what was structured defensively there with Old Bridge. So we got to give credit to Salaur wedge due. But when you're the head coach in the National Football League, ladies and gentlemen, you got to be an overseer. You got to be somebody that shows you can handle defense, offense, special teams in terms of decision making and when it came to stuff on the offensive side of the ball, Sala just didn't seem to be there. When it came to having the respect of players, it just didn't seem to be there when it came to being demonstrative enough to make sure that you could provoke change when was necessary so y'all could play better. It just didn't seem to be there. So Woody Johnson to me, didn't make the wrong decision. Now for them people that will sit up there and say, well, guess what, why Now, keep in mind Whatody Johnson din't hire him. Woody Johnson's brother, Christopher, that's the one. Christopher Johnson is the one that hired Robert Seller. Woody Johnson was the ambassador to the United Kingdom during the Trump administration while all of that was going on, and so he didn't have a lot to do with the hiring. And he told us that when he said he had reservations for the last couple of years. Now, why would he say that you just hired him a couple of years? What the hell is that about? So I don't believe that for one second. Now, having said all of that, let's say this. It's on Aaron Rodgers. Now you gotta find a way to step your game up and get it done, because guess what. New York ain't been to the playoffs since twenty ten. They've had a horrific quarterback play over the years. You're certainly not that. But they ain't gonna give Aaron Rodgers any favors either. This ain't Green Bay. You can't be telling people lags, ri la acts relaxed. Nobody won't to hear that shit. Uh uh, you got the ball, bro You got the ball. Now. In order to do that, you probably need another receiver. And I get there, by the way. For Nathaniel Hackett, his father was an elite college coach who coached in the NFL under the Bill Belichicks, the Marty Schottenhammers of the world, Bill Walsh is rather of the world, stuff like that. And so when you look at the fact that this man has had multiple jobs as an offensive coordinator and one as a head coach, considering his level of ineptitude, it is some It's the epitome of nepotism. I just need to say that about Nathaniel Hackett. I'm gonna get that out the way. Now. Let me move on to what Aaron Rodgers may really really need, and that's rad is wide receiver Devonte Adams, who wants out of Las Vegas and reportedly wants to be reunited with either Derek Carr now engine in New Orleans, or formal quarterback Aaron Rodgers in New York. Like I've just been saying, my Steelers, the Bills, the Chiefs also have interest, according to reports, I think the Baltimore Ravens should be on that list as well. I personally don't think the Jets would be the wisest move for Adams to make. Damn your personal feelings. Damn it now, Aaron Rods can flinging that football and I get all of that, but you got a future to think about beyond this shit. And who the hell knows what quarterback the Jets are gonna have if Aaron Rodgers decided to walk away after this season, You, Davontae Adams, my bro, you got to be smarter than that. You should be looking at the Buffalo Bills because of Josh Allen. He ain't going anywhere and he's durable and reliable. You should be looking at Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. You should be looking at Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. That's the three places you should be looking. And dear, I say Dallas since they got a sixty million dollars quarterback in dak Prescott. I ain't saying you're gonna get him now, but the point is, those are the kind of teams that you should be looking at about. And obviously dak is way down on my list compared to the three aforementioned quarterbacks I mentioned. Hell no, but that's where you need to be going. It ain't about your love of fan friendship with the quarterback. Patrick Mahomes can figure out how to get you the ball. Josh Ally can figure out how to get you the ball. Blamar Jackson can figure out how to get you the ball. That's where you should be going, bro, That's where you should be going to stop playing, stop playing. I know, listen, I gave you proces for going to Sin City after being in Green Bay, where they ain't got shit but cheese. I didn't blame you for leaving Green Bay and wanting to go to Sin City. Get your groove on, a lot of stuff that gets happens in Sin City stays in Sint City. I got that. But now that you've gotten over that, you got to find yourself in a winning situation. You too elite to be at home watching the postseason while some of these cats are playing, because you can't pick the right quarterback to throw you the football. You gotta do better, Davonte Adams. You big Tom Paulerman, I don't know if you can trust the Rogers situation in New York, and you damn sure don't need to be going to New Orleans with Derek Carr. He still got to get the ball to Chrysal Lave, still got to give the ball to Alvin Kamara. So I'm just saying, Baltimore, Buffalo, Kansas City, think about that, bro, think about it. Joining me now to discuss all things NFL. It's my brother. He's a Hall of Fame wide receiver. All he did was catch touchdown passes, but that's not all he did in life. He just got back from London, bright of that. He was in Paris at Patty. You remember, the wife wanted to go to the Patti, So he went to Patti, and then he went to London. And then he called me from London bragging about the Vikings when they had intercepted Aaron Rodgers, not once but twice, acting like he was gonna get blown out of the building. And then I ain't hear from him when the game got scary scary close by the way, I'm talking about the one old Chris Carter. What's up CC, what's going on?
Bro?
What's up? Man?
It's good, man, it's good. I didn't like I'm all for the Vikings winning. I didn't think that we're starting to retire coaches now.
I mean, I didn't think of telling me about beating up on the Jests like that.
I didn't think that the ending result would be that Robert Salid would lose his job.
How shocked were you that Woody Johnson decided to let go of Solad just five games into the season.
I mean very shocked.
If you look at the Johnson's record as far as with the Jets the last twenty five years.
Now, that's act where it's not.
Good, but at least from a coaching standpoint, even the worst coaches they've had, none of them they fired this early in the season or early in the season, so it lets you know that they are definitely not satisfyed with the problem and they do believe in regardless of what we think, that this team might have a chance.
That's the only reason why.
You would fire a coach with Aaron Rodgers healthy and you only be in two and three and if you beat Buffalo next Monday night, you're tying for first in your division.
So they feel like they can still starve with this season.
Well, you dann right. They got a chance. First of all, they got in the leade defense. Secondly, and more importantly, you still got Aaron Rodgers. The Buffalo Bills isn't looking great over the last two weeks, so we know what happened with Miami. Since two is going down, we're looking at the rest of the AFC. There are people there who could be had, even Kansas City five, and those still look vulnerable because most of their games was tight before they ran roud in New Orleans on Monday Night. But let me get a bit personal here. Did you think Salad deserved to be fired? And do you believe that Aaron Rodgers had absolutely nothing to do with him being five?
Well, I think both of those things are probably true. First of all, you're not going to fire ahead come without consideration from a forty year old veteran quarterback like Anon Rockers, Like when I decided to leave Green Bay. We're in partnership, like we're trying to bring a Super Bowl to the Jets. But I'm gonna look at all the personnel decisions Aaron Proctors had a hand in now because those decisions weren't good last year. He wants a slock receiver after one of his former slock receivers there and bring Bay Randall. Rando kyb was washed up like he didn't have no good football left in him. And if you look at what he's doing now Alan Lazard, I'll watch some of the other night in London. He's not that explosive as he would think for a six five twenty five pound arte receiving.
You know.
So Aaron Rodgers has played the role in the person there. He played the role in the offensive coordinator being in. So now you just want me to close my eyes and my ears everything I've ever observed in my life. To think that he didn't have anything to do with the coach being gone, that I would be a little not easy to think that.
I'm just saying, man, where's my brother? That's like, come on, man, I don't see that guy to it. You know, you look a little mellow. You know, say he was in London and stuff like that. For flying overseas might be a little jet lag. You look at a little mellow today. I'm just wondering. You seem a bit nicer than I thought you was gonna be about this subject.
Well, the thing about is I realized that you can't have too yelling brother on the chef. So I come in with the information like these are facts the Jets are don't do what they want to do. But you also know you're trying to judge an organization that is not good at football. I mean all the things that they've done general management through the years, drafted players through the years, like they didn't look like a super Bowl caliber team regard also of what the owner thinks about them. But when you look at how bad the offenses have been with Robert Salad as the head coach, but you can't be encouraged by Nathaniel Hackett by what he did those last two years in Green Bay, what he did with Denver, and what he's done with the Jets. So for me, I'm going to keep the coach because I don't believe that there's a solution in the building, especially being that close and having very good personnel that the Jets do have very good.
Personal Before I ask you this question about Aaron Rodgers and I get off this subject, i'd be remissing neglecting to play sound from Aaron Rodgers. He appeared on the Pat McAfee show on ESPN around a little bit after twelve noon today, and listen to what Aaron Rodgers had to say on the Pat McAfee show. Check it out. Before I ask you my question.
I would love to offer you the floor to kind of explain how yesterday went down, your thoughts on it all, and how you think we got to this point that we're at with the New York Jets organization in twenty twenty four.
Yeah, I mean, yesterday was a day that reminds you of the simple fact that all of us who played know all too well, and that's that it's a tough business. It's a beautiful profession, it's incredible, it's done so much for our lives, but it's also a really tough business. I love Coach Sala. We have a very solid relationship we have since, you know, I met him in twenty twenty one and had a nice conversation when they came and visited us for joint practices. He was a big reason why I came to the Jets. You know, I felt like the team, you know, was a team had a relationship with coach Hackett, obviously, and I really liked coach Salah. As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I'm not going to spend more than one sentence in response to it, and that is that I resent any of those accusations because they're patently false. And and uh, it's interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don't. But I love Robert and uh, it was, you know, one of those days yesterday.
See this is this this stew's my language, cec. This is the shit that pisses me off about Aaron Rodgers. Now we know who's the brother that coined him. He's a bad man. That would be me, you know, damn it. I was accused of having a man crush on this brother because I got that much love for him. I think he's one of the greatest throwers of the football in the game of football has ever seen. Okay, but I hate when he does that. All right, Oh, you're not gonna dignify response. You younger than Lah. I mean, you have nothing to say that you love it that people think you have that amount of power. Well, what the hell is that? Then? You Hackett be doing being there. If you don't have that kind of power, what are you talking about? I mean, if it makes no sense. You're the one of the greatest quarterbacks who ever lived. They gave everything to get you to the franchise, and now it's ridiculous for us to surmise that if the coach was fired, that Woody Johnson didn't talk to you first before you made the decision, or somebody didn't talk to you first. See how much do you believe Aaron Rodgers when he takes this position?
Well, this is what I do know.
I'm not going to get into an open media debate with Aaron Rodgers.
Did he have anything to do with it? I know this. If you play them better, the coach don't get fired.
So you do have something to do with the coach, you know, being fired, and you have tremendous amount of.
Input on everything going on.
Inside the organiza to me, if Aaron Rodgers was open to a more open offense a lot like Tom Brady was when he went to Tampa Bay. Things weren't going smooth there. I think they had a bye week week number eleven. They finally got their offense together. They barely got into into the playoffs, ended up going.
To the Super Bowl.
Hey Mann was a shell of himself at the end of his career in then, but you could see the third leadership and how much guys respected them that they were able to get get it done and win championships even though they weren't playing well. Aaron Rodgers is not moving well in the pocket. Aaron Rodgers is not the athlete that he was. And just like Dan Marino and a lot of other great quarterbacks, it's either their scheme or their legs that start to fail them late in their career.
And to me, ay, rod does not have that pop in his.
Last He cannot get away from people the way he was in the last two weeks. If you look at what dem did to him and what the Vikings did to him, this is a cockey catle bro they getting raided Glitzen. They're gonna put six man up to the line of scrimmage. That's what Denver did, exactly what the Vikings did and compile all those hips against Aaron Rodgers because that system. They don't have enough hots and breaks to be able to go against that type of system. So that was the problem in Green Bay, while the offense struggled the last two years because Aaron wants to do what Aaron wants to do, so all these stubborn things. And by the way, Aaron Rodgers did not great at relationships. Who's he that great relationship?
So that's where we're going. Now, that's where we're going. Now we're gonna go to Dead Abbey route. Now we're gonna go to Dead Abbey right now. He's not great for relationships. The Jets ain't better the playoffs since twenty ten. I don't give it damn about the relationship. They need to follow whatever the hell he says follow. I mean, they ain't got anything better to do that GM Joe Douglass is twenty nine and fifty nine, top of the second worst record NFL since twenty nineteen with Jacksonville. Only the Carolina Panthers have been worse. You damn right. They got to sit up there and listen to Aaron Rodgers.
When you decide if you're going Aaron Rodgerson as your quarterback, you are getting married to do things his what And he's only got one mode you know when you play that long again green But he got spoiled just like Brett Fahk. And now this is what you get with the Jets. When you miss planets. Who's gonna be your quarterback, who's gonna be your offensive play forward? And you let him dictate those things? You are married to this bad result. Like that's one thing about the NFL. Man, there ain't no bexy strategy, Like there ain't no way to get out of this, Like typically we most get knocked out of this distance, and typically our great players end up going somewhere else, playing in the unfamiliar jersey, playing in a way that we are unfamiliar with. And that's what I saw in Lena. He hadn't a dreamed. But it was not Packer Green that had that Packer.
Now, let's go to your wheelhouse with Davonte Adams wide receiver extraordinarire once out a. Las Vegas has had a falling out by all reports with Antonio Pierce, the head coach who was the interim coach last year. I got promoted to the head coach. One minute, the players are looking to walk through a wall for him, run through a wall for him. Another another year, just a season later, some players look like they want to throw him into the damn wall, What the hell is going on in Vegas? And what do you think about Davonte Adams wanting to leave?
Well, when you bring him there, he's the best receiver in football. And then once they're at car because he came here not just for the money, because Green Bay were a payer and that other teams were the paper that he came there to play with his college.
But but once.
There at Carr leads if you don't have a competent quarterback there. When I talked to ad last year at the Super Bowl, we talked about what are you gonna do? He's like, I'm gonna get me a quarterback. The better get you a quarterback because he don't need And when you don't have a quarterback, why Receivers myself, we are some of the most selfish specie in the work. And right now you are seeing what wide receivers do when you don't put us with they quarterback.
It ain't us out the money.
We still want to sack and he still want to win, but we can't win unless we can get our hands on the football.
So we're very, very selfish.
And that's what you are seeing now in the ultimate team sport. He's trying to look out what's for the best interest for himself personally, his own braining, in his own business.
Doesn't he need to be smarter? You stayed in Green Band, then you wanted to leave because Aaron Rider couldn't make up his mind whether he wants to keep playing or retiring. And with the plethora of places you could have gone, you decide you want to go to Vegas just because your boy Derek Carr is there, and he was no all world kind of quarterback. He was good, but he was no all world cridter quarterback. You going to Vegas. Josh McDaniel is dead, he ends up out of there, Derek Carr ends up out of there. And now you didn't want to play with the Garoppolos and the o'connos and of course the go the men's shoes of the world. So now that the situation is thinking, surmise him for just a second that Devontae Adams has learned the error of his ways. Where do you believe the ideal place is for him to go?
There's no ideal place for I believe the same what the Saints have white receivers.
Derek Carr's not gonna get any better if they get another wide receiver.
He goes to the Saints. Now their problem Chrystal Lava. He's done well though, like he's on his way being a Pro Bowl player in the third year. Like, why would you bring another vestment in? They got the young receiver, the special team player made on Pro last year, Sai Man. He's got lazy speed number twenty two. Like, so they got a nice combination. So then if you bring in a vessels, sometimes you stunk the growth of younger players.
I believe they should go to the Jets them and don't tall put this this thing on.
Hell no, I can't. That is terrible. That is terrible. The Jets listen. I like him with Garret Wilson, Aaron Aaron Rodgers throwing them to the football. But Aaron Rodgers hasn't been what we expected them to be in all likelihood because he's still recovering from that Killes injuries. He's a station.
But who else do they have?
The Sians Garrett Wilson bro I didn't I agree with that, But how about Kansas City Rice is out for the year. How about even though they ain't go traded within the division. I understand that. How about the Baltimore Ravens. How about Buffalo with Josh Allen.
Well, this is the thing, all right, there are many options that are better than the Jets, that being to me, all those options Kansas City, Buffalo, and Baltimore. But to me, I believe that he might be leaning towards a more personal relationship. I don't know, Devonte Adams, but at this point in your career, you have both the accurates.
I would be trying to win.
The best football coach right, best play caller. The best scheme is Andy Reed, and it's not even close whoever's second. So if I could get to Kansas City the less money and play with the Magistics and mahomes and play with Andy Reid because they still make football fun.
Every time I've watched him, the game look was fun.
And they're a desperate need of a number one receiver because Travis Kelsey at this eighties will not be able to do that for the length of the season, So they still need the number one receiver. So yeah, I agree with you on them, but I don't know what makes Devion think Abbams take. To me, it was personal relationships. Hence the city is a no bringer if he can get the hell with.
The personal relations ain't dead, abbey man, He ain't gonna stay to sit on a damn couch. You gotta play some football. The brothers too nice, He's too special to be thinking about them damn personal feelings. He need to get in the best winning situation and being win an elite quarterback where you know he gonna be able to put up digits because he got a quarterback to get him the damn football. Speaking of extraordinary quarterbacks, it's young in his career. We only five games in, but his brother, Jaden Daniels in the Nation's Capital Commanders are four and one yo. See, they could win the division. Bro, What what's their ceiling in your eyes? The way this brother's playing complete seventy seven percent of his past eleven hundred and thirty five yards three hundred rush yards only trailing Lamar Jackson. This brother's on another level right now. How far can you see the Commander's going this year?
Well, we always have two or three teams that come from nowhere, and that's one of the things that makes the NFL special, the draft situation where the worst teams are getting the best players coming from college football. Now my scouting department, How can I get one of these great young quarterbacks because we got them coming into the league who can throw it better than ever and also be dual threats.
How can I get them in my building? Well, the number one thing you need is you need people to be able to make mistakes. You need certain people.
To be all fall in love with the other girl before you get to the dance floor.
You ask them to dance and oh, he already took her out and come to find out ten to fifteen years he's made a mistake. And that's what you have in watching it.
I believe Dan Queen, especially in the second time around as a head coach, he's one of the most well inspected defensive minds out there, but as a coach he relates to the players and what they're trying to do. I remember doing TV and going in and interview him before the game and the reception of the players in Atlantic and their whole vibe that they had around the organization that if he can get in another champ and give him a good quarterback, and that's what they have in James Dannys. Go back to his freshman year Arizona State with hearn Netlis.
He was already a dual threat.
Then you could see, man, if he gained some way, he could be special and then get in a couple of years in the SEC A lot like Joe Burrows. The same thing Man Washington. They got it right. But also you got to get a little lucky Carolina. You know, two years ago they decided they're gonna take the guy Frombama, CJ.
Straft.
This year we had Caleb Winns. Bear's fell in love with the best player in this year's draft. It's Jake Dangers.
Let me give you the let me give you the last word. I mean, you know, I don't feel like it. It is my damn show. But you know, with you and your damn vikings and stuff like that, wearing you know, waving your purple towels and wearing your purple you know, warm up shirt and all this other stuff, they are five and zero. I can't front Brian Flora's got he doing that thing. He's showing that he's a worthy head coaching candidate in this NFL. You know, we all know he wanted Justin Herbert instead of two tongue of a lower in Miami and that precipitated his downfall near South Beach. But it's a new day, and I didn't expect this from the Minnesota Vikings. O'Connell. I'll gi him a lot of credit. He looks like he's a hell of a head coach Brian Flores is clearly a hell of a defensive coordinator at five and zero heading into their byery, what's the realistic expectation for this team in terms of how far they can go? Last question to.
You, Well, because now we've been through at least a third of the season almost you can really start to see teams with certain treats and identity, like, okay, what is this team? And we know there are a defensive dominant team that has multiple pressure loves, the leading the league in size. I think they got eleven or twelve intersections like those types of things create a theme and a vibe withinside of the team. And now, yes, we know we have Sam Donald still only twenty seven, but he still got a lot of stars from his past with the Jets in other and other teams in the NFL. So he played his absolute worst game against a good defense of the Jets, and we were still able to win a lot like Kansas City has done. Two of their five womens have been in the pugging fashion.
So you complain to yourself, you compare yourself to Kansas City, the two time Ready Defensive Bowl champions, of what we're doing. Now, that's what we're doing.
See Typan Wood said, I won the golf tournament with my sea game. The Vikings went to London and they won with their sea football game. Sam Donald's gonna have to play better, But man, Kevin O'Connell had, dudes, why they that he was missing and that defensive pressure and the billing bill turn people over. That's gonna be a constant this year. They got a top flight special team kicker is good from fifty four, and they got a good schedule. They got a home field advantage, and yes, man, it's okay.
I talked to the equipment guy.
I told him a little large right now, you're a little fitter he was last year. He saw you last year and thought the face was fat bar to his ex large. I was like, no, I saw the brother in plectonol, dudes and slim the tightened up. We're gonna get you some large Vikings gear. So by December when it comes around, you won't look like you're just getting on the bandwagon and everything. You'll be you already have some Viking stuff ready.
That's some bullshit you're talking around. That's some bullshit you're talking right there, because the next thing you're gonna do is you're gonna say to me, I want you to get to Minnesota, but guess what, I won't be able to wear the shit because too damned cold in Minnesota, one of the coldest states in the country. I've been in Minnesota before, Okay, I don't even understand how people stated. I'm still wondering how lucky are y'all have Anthony Edwards, because he should have wanted to leave that place, you know, just because of the cold weatherlond You know, one of my best friends ever, my man Boris Battle, works for the Minnesota Timberwolves, right we were college teammates together at Winston Salem State, has two beautiful children. Years ago he had introduced me to them. My first words out of his mouth was, how could you do this to them? How could you have them living in Minnesota in this cold ass weather?
Hey, bron I went up there and had a great career. Great things are happening up there, maybe Stephen A. Smith, the worldly god Globe. Come on, man, you need to be start thinking outside the box.
Man. You can't be geographically all big city now now you're just a big city.
Oh only if you ain't in La. I know you're in La right now, laying back.
I know you got the crib down on Miname. I know you'd like to tell yourself a New York and everything. But listen, bro, there's a big.
Part of the Midwest and Upper Midwest.
They playing some good football up there. Don't miss out on the twenty four football season because you've got this ideallancy. All these teams got to be from Philly in your Dallas is somewhere like that.
We playing good ball up there. And CEC, I hope the bike get me dm C C.
Where you been living for the last thirty five years.
In Florida.
But I made my breaking up.
But yeah, yeah, in Florida. You understand that you in and out of Minnesota inside of twenty four hours, and you're gonna give me a damn lecture over here over the digital airways. You know your ass don't stay there more than twenty four hours. Tell you why you even decided to stop it?
You turning your camera towards the palm trees. Do you I'm not lying.
Don't do it. Don't do it to me. Don't do it to me. Love you, bro, Appreciate you, man. I'll talk to you next week. Thanks a lot, man. So okay, the one and only CC, the one and only Chris Carter right here with Steven and Steven they special the digital airwaves of YouTube and of course our heart radio. You heard his respective about all things NFL had to get it from him, no doubt about that, so I could be finished with all of that. I've heard the last word. I'm giving it to him. He's got the last word on that topic. Coming up, the WNBA finals are set between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Links, another Minnesota team. Good lord. I'll dive into who has the edge coming up. But first, the presidential election is now less than four weeks away. So how important is the black vote this time around? Oh? I got something to say about that, as well as my guest Roland Martin in the house. Don't touch that doll. Let's Stephen Nick Smith show coming your way back with more in a minute. Okay, everybody, you know what Tom it is. It's Tom for stephen A's weekly sports picks. In case you didn't know, I've teamed up with Prospects to bring you my favorite picks on every big time game with sporting events you see. Prospects is a skill based, real money daily fantasy sports game where you select two or more players to predict if they'll have more or less on their projected stats for the game or contest. It's not only super exciting, but incredibly easy to play and takes only sixty seconds, repeat only sixty seconds to make your picks. Pick the stats for Josh Allen, Garrett Cole, or Kevin Durant, and then sit back and watch that big money roll right in and get this sign up with cod that says and Prospects will give you fifty dollars when you play your first five dollars lineup. You don't need to win your lineup to receive the fifty dollars bonus. It's guaranteed. All you have to do is play a five dollars lineup on Prospects and you'll get fifty dollars instantly. Now, let's see my winning picks. Okay, today, I'll be making picks for Thursday night's NFL game. First up, San Francisco caller Brock Purty more or less than two hundred and fifty two and a half passing yards. I'm going with more on this. I know that San Francisco's been struggling, but they lost a couple of games in a row. They're getting desperate. I think that Kyle Shanahan's gonna come up with some tricks out of his sleep, even get brought Purdy going, and I think he'll have more than the two hundred and fifty two and a half passing the yards. I'm gonna go with more on this one. Please Seattle Seahawks quarterback Gino Smith more or less than two hundred and fifty three and a half passing yards himself. I'm definitely gonna go more with Gino Smith. He's got DK metcalf and he's been putting up yardage. They haven't been winning over the last couple of weeks. They got to get their act together. Okay McDonald be is the new coach and what have you. Some problems with their defense and problem with some other stuff as well. But in the end, Gino Smith can't fling that football and can he put up more than two hundred and fifty three yards? Yes, he can. Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, I just brought him up more or less than sixty six and a half receiving yards. I think he's one of the best receivers in football. I think he's an absolute stud. By the way, I gotta give him up the mad credit part of the reason my stomach went Dan and some of the exercises I've employee. DK metcalf personally gave me advice on that. Every time he sees me, it brings it up, and he's right. I'm gonna give him love for that because that brother's in shape, making no mistake about it. I'm going with more because he's a stud, and even though San Francis goes it could show up DK metcalf Is DK Metcalf, I'm gonna say more than sixty six and a half receiving yards. Finally, forty nine is running back Jordan Mason. Who the hell let's do more or less than eighty three and a half receiving yards. Receiving yards out of the running back spot, I'm not going for rushing yards. I'm sorry running yards for Jordan Mason, I'm gonna I'm gonna go with less. I don't think Seattle's gonna let him run the football effectively to that degree. I could see him getting sixty or seventy eighty three and a half. I'm gonna go with less on this one. Okay. It's gonna be a tough game as well. San Francisco and Seattle are both going in the wrong direction, both trying to make amends, make up for stuff, and do what they need to do. So it's gonna be a real tough game. I don't think it's gonna be good for the running game of the San Francisco forty nine as though. Okay, so you saw what I got. Okay, I got brock Purty with more, got Gino Smith with Moore, I've got a DK Metcalf with more, and I've got Mason with left. Those with less, those are my picks. Flow with me because I've been flowing when I've been doing prize pects. In case you've missed it, Welcome back to Steven A. Smith Show right here over the digital airways of YouTube and iHeartRadio. Let's get to the politics and a presidential election which is now less than four weeks away. There are several key demographics that can swing the election in any direction for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris or Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump. One group that many aren't taking into consideration as far as I'm concerned is black men. And I say that based on a New York Times column written very recently by Charles Coleman Junior. Take a look at this excerpt from the column right here.
Quote.
Black men today face a unique reality that warrants consideration under nearly any relevant index for measuring the quality of American life. How far we get in school, our finances when compared to those of our white counterparts, and how long we will live. Black men consistently rank lif last or nail last. There is not a black man alive in this country right now who has ever seen black male unemployment equal to or less than that of his white counterparts. This is true even more acutely for a thirty four year old black man born in nineteen ninety, who may have voted in every presidential election since his eighteenth birthday, saw the election of a black president and spent more more of his adult life with Democrats in the OLISVI office than Republicans. How could we not be asking ourselves come November? Which candidate can help us change course? End quote again, that was written by Charles Coleman Junior. He ain't better than my next guest. That article was well written, given in props. But damnit, he ain't rolling on, he ain't rolling mar in unfiltered. That's who I got right here, right now? What's up, big boy? How you doing?
Man?
How's everything?
I Charles a nice brother, but he does belong to that youth.
Group call it Magasie five.
That's right. Oh no, no, no, I take everythack every word I said, I take it every word, I said, brother Brontat, jump about you? What jump about?
Oh?
By the way, by the way, Roland, I saw you stepping. I said, oh shock, damn, Roland was getting it on. I had to give you props like that. I didn't know, Bro, I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know. I didn't know Bro not at all. Let me ask you this, man, when you read this article in all now I got you keep it going? Because you keeping it going, Bro, you was moving pretty damn good way to go and leading the pack. By the way, you were doing your thing in front of an audience. It wasn't a private you.
Were doing your thing.
I got to give it to you. Let's get to this. Let's get to this article. Roland. When I read you what I just read, I know you read the whole article. But when I read you what I just read, how did you feel about what he had to what he had to say in that column.
So there are a number of things that Carl's wrote that I've literally talked about on my show, and actually I've been talking about for the last twelve years. So Leville packed that in twenty twelve. First of all, I sit you guys a graphic. So in two thousand and eight, black men ninety five percent voted for Obama, five percent voted.
For then Senator McCain.
Then it jumps toa, Then it jumps to eleven in twenty twelve. Why is that because you heard black men's Black men were saying they felt that Obama did not deliver. So there was a nine point gap between black men and black women. So then when you go to twenty and sixteen, then the number increases a lot of people kept saying misogyny. They ain't support no woman in Hillary Clinton, but they ignored. It was two men in two thousand and twelve. Now you go to two thousand in six twenty twenty, it was two men by Trump.
And what then happens?
Same thing. Okay, you see the number in creeks. Now the Trump that you just show. It's important to understand black men are still Black men are like all other men. They're naturally more conservative. White men, Hispanic men, Asian men, black men their issue. But we come to Democrats, black women are their number one voting Black black men are still their number two. So what are you now, like, so, like, what's going on here? What's the difference what Trump does? Trump presents this tough guy.
Manhood. I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna do what I say.
Uh, I say what I mean, And it's attractive as attractive to a certain group of men. Now, when Charles was talking about this, is saidtisfaction in terms of these perceptions that you know, the Democratic Party is a party of women. But first of all, perception is alive. Now we say sometimes one perception because reality. Here's the reality to our black men. Who's the highest ranking black man in the Democratic Party. There's not the highest ranking African American Democratic Party got vice president.
Of Comedge, but the Minardi leader.
Is Jefferson, who was who was the person who actually made the possible for Biden to win?
Congsme, Jim Clyburn.
Are there more black male members the three black members of the United States Senate? The four three men, one woman, okay, three Democrat, one Republican and Tim Scott in the House more black men than black women.
We can we can keep going on and on and on.
Now, what brothers are reacting to, and I've heard this for last decade. Bros are reacting to. All they hear is black girl magic, black girlmagic, black black girl magic. But what black men gotta understand is we've been the ones getting all the attention for decades. We can take into account the journalism, sexism, misogyny. So for instance, if I asked, I guarantee you this steven A and not just brothers with the high school diploma, go to college degree. So I asked them, how does the Montgomery boycott start? They gonna say, oh, that was doctor King and the preachers. No, it wasn't it was Joanne Robinson, an Alabama state professor and the women Women's Political Council.
They're the ones who started the bus boycott.
So we have to understand that men called Shirley Chisholm, which she ran president at the Black Political Commission in Gary, Indiana. The black men did not want to endorse her.
It want to end her.
So we gotta that level misogyny is not just about black men. It's about men period, across the board, whether it's white, black, and somatic or whatever. Misogyny, you know, stereotypic stereotypes, those kinds of things. I got you men, I got you.
Men thinking a woman shouldn't do certain jobs or she can't be a leader. But the reality is there are female leaders all across the world. Mexico, female president, India. Go to my ear was leading to we can go on and on the okay, but what Charles laid out with Charles laid out, it is true that what it's the really it's a huge piece here with Democrats, and I'm gonna say democratic white strategers don't understand is that the further you get away from the black civil rights movement, black people less self identify as democrats.
You and I are gen X.
I've been really paying to this since I graduated from college in nineteen ninety one. You and I are in different tax bracts than our parents. You and I and other focus on things that our parents didn't focus on. So what now begins to happen? You now begin to look at stuff differently. If you never own the business, you didn't care about a corporate tax rate, You now own the business.
You do, yes, you do.
So it's a pocketbook issue.
So what democrats have not done is they have not crafted a strategy on how do you my poor target black people. You're gonna talk to a college educated black woman different from a non educated black woman. You're gonna talk to a brother who in na chime America different than urban America. They've always had sort of this one size fits all. But so what you're not seeing the data you're now seeing people go. You ain't talking to me, so almost a look at others.
H okay. And I'm saying to you now, that is the way I can get on you because you dropping facts. I'm not disputing it. But then you'll turn around and you'll point out how folks on the right, Well, you know what, they ain't worth the damn look at what we're trying to do here on the left. But on the on the left, you've got folks that that are strategists, that are in the ears and in the head of candidates that are manipulating the proceedings, and they ain't paying attention to our community like you just highlighted.
But here's the problem.
The problem is the strategy look like me and you them, I agree, right, So the problem is the strategists control the money, control the messaging.
They're not paying attention to the streets. They're not paying attution to the ground.
So when you listen to the ground, you now gotta realize you now have to communicate with people differently. Now, when I went through Charles's column, he was talking about issues criminal justice reform, we're talking about health things on those lines.
Here are facts and it's just flat out of facts.
When you look at the difference between Trump, Harris, Democrats, and Republicans, Republicans wanted to end their Former Care Act. The Former Care Act specifically has helped black folks get insurance, which means help black men. So when black men say, well, I need to hear something something specific. Well, when the Vice president's worked on three and a half years the issue of black infant mortality that impacts black men, had a brother say no, adun't, I said, brother, when she's talking about infant mortality, she ain't just talking about them sister with the baby, because the sister is birthing black boys.
I said that, Yeah, my brother, time I start right there. I need you to start right there, because my point is I ran in to Senator Chris Coon. I know you know who that is, based out of Delaware. All right, Chris Coon, based out of Delaware. He's done some HBCU work with me, and I really really appreciate him for that. Right, But he asked me about a question. I brought up your name because obviously anytime somebody's talking to me about politics, particularly on the left and what they're trying to do and out there that should be listened to and heard, I always point him in your direction. My brother, I never had that. Don't come to me. Listen to that brother right there. He know a lot more about that. That is this I'm venturing into it. I ain't trying to be no expert in this. Later, I want to parts of it. But I will say this to you, the messager matters as much as the message, and and and if you're going to sit there and say, we've got a vice president who is black, who is the Democratic nominee for the president, who is a black woman, who we have a minority you know, speak of the House in Hakeem Jeffies, he's black. We saw, you know, Clive Bird, he got Biden elected. If you're gonna bring up all of these things, and how do these surrogates, how do these folks that are really financing the campaigns? And what have you get away with not paying attention to the Black community when you know you need them in order to win. Why are those folks in power letting these folks get away with that? Are you trying to win?
Are you not right? And first, why you're absolutely right? And messages do matter.
I can tell you in twenty sixteen, on the night of the Congression of Black Caucus Foundation ALC dinner, I literally told Hillary Clinton to her face, listen, you're going to lose this because your people are got their heads stuck in their epads and I'm listening to the ground. I told her, I've been trying to get your black male surrogates on my show, and your people are not responding. And she was, she said, she literally said to Humer and Tomorrow and Marshall, if Rolla's not getting them, I know others are not as well. And so you've got to have the voices out there. I can tell you black men were saying early in the bidenhairs administration, where are you black? Where your black mal administrative folks? And so you're right, you've got to be sending out trusted, trusted messengers. But the Vice president has been doing is she's see that as an opportunity. She's been speaking to them when she she's been speaking to the various groups. She's been having the conversations. But you gotta have more conversation. But this is not where challenge comes in. Here's the challenge now. Stephen A and I okay brought everything. Charles wrote, well, I'm gonna tell you something. I'd tell you what when the black women, when the black women met in twenty twenty win with black women, they launched that to get her the DP nomination.
She got it. They kept meeting. They've been meeting every Sunday for four years.
You know how many times brothers were like, yo, man, we gotta meet, and I said, we'll organize it.
It never happened.
You know why because typically when stuff got organized in the black community.
Sisters are the one that did it.
So when we did so, when we did the win with the Black Men Call, phenomenal, fifty five thousand folks were on the call the day after the sisters did. But guess what, it's a whole bunch of these brothers ain't been on the call since then. So here's what I'm saying to Charles and to every black man out there. I can't wait for the Democratic Party to speak to black men. I need black men mobilizing and organizing, speaking to black men about our issues. So I have been this goes back more than a decade. I have directly challenged my frat Alpha Phi Alpha. I've challenged all the all the fraternities in Divine nine.
But also I.
Challenge the Prince Hall Mason's I challenge black men's groups. See, we can sit here.
And say, hey, you know what party ain't doing.
This year, But this ain't about party.
This is about us.
It's about us.
Yeah, but they never listening. Roland then you you know that come on Roland, they don't listen. If there's one thing, and you know this better than most because you are black men that speaking. You can't stand where people ain't listening because you know they should be listening to you, and it drives you crazy. Okay. You know historically black folks, black men lament their voices being heard and oh, by the way, little kept secret were gonna put it out there on Front Street. A lot of times we don't feel the women are listening to us, and so nigga, that plays a role too, and that's not fair. That's not always fair because a lot of times they are listening, we just ain't making no damn sense sometimes. So I get that part. Go ahead, I'm sorry.
First.
First of all, black women been swinging for us for a long time, even when we were silent.
Oh no doubt.
So here's what.
So here's what.
And when we start talking about policies, when I when I cook, when these brothers I run. I'm in Philadelphia right now, during the show tonight, I'm at Linking University of Tomorrow. When brothers come up to me and they say, man, I ain't doing nothing, I then go what do you mean? So when Charles was talking about criminal justice reform, he was like, well, they didn't get they didn't get the George plot, just as at they didn't Biden Hair signed executive order. This Civil Rights Division has investigated twelve police departments, one under Donald Trump.
So things are actually happening. What has to happen is.
Have to make sure that we are also organized to challenge power to actually get things done. So what should be happening right now is with less than thirty days, brothers should be asking themselves. Okay, everything Charles laid out is great. Here's a question. I'm a black man. What are the five things I care about? And where does Harris line up? And where does Trump line up? And if I got more check marks by Harris's name, I ain't even thinking about Donald Trump. Cause see, let's be real clear. I'm gonna put this out you and I. It don't actually matter who wins. They don't actually have a material impact on us because of frankly, where we are financial Well, let me say it is here to a brother out there who is asking the questions about unemployment, getting the capital for business, things along those lines, you better be asking yourself who cares about your health, who cares about your education, who cares about civil rights, who cares about the environment. You got a hurricane bearing down, another one across the country. If you a brother who's providing benefits to you to be able to escape that when you can take care of your family, Well, we're gonna stop saying what folk not doing and step back and say, well, let me find out people are doing and then how that's impacted my life.
Yes, I can feel you on that rolling, but here's my deal. Like, for example, that message being sent by you is admirable. I'm glad I'm giving you my airways. You got your own, you know, but I'm glad I'm giving you my airways to say, you know what you're saying because you deserve it. The flip side to this is this, though, Kamala Harris should be saying that more effectively. And oh, by the way, I appreciate her on the View, I appreciate her on Stephen Colbert, I appreciate her in those platforms. The ain't rolling, Martin. Now, let me give you and I know how I know how liberal leaning you are, but I also know that even when liberals sit in front of you. Oh, they better bring this stuff. It's gonna be a problem. You ain't gonna let them off the hook.
Actually, I'll say this, I'm black leaning.
You got fine, fine, right, but I'm.
Going it now.
I'm going that. I'm going that that's accurate, that's accurate. I'm just saying, where the hell I ain't see did she sit down with you yet? Did she sit down with you yet?
Up, that's actually that's actually happening.
Okay, all right, So okay, okay, but to your.
Point, but to your point, trust me, and I've been saying this for years as well. You're absolutely right. You have to all show because so for instance, uh what about three weeks ago she was on Ricky Smiley Show. Uh yeah, yeah they did, they did all the smoke. But that's also part of the deal. Part of the deal is with these campaigns, I'm talking about strategs now and they don't look like us. This is also getting to understand you better have a better respect for black on media and for black voices and also how you're communicating. Again, where the campaigns have made a mistake is they don't understand the old model of hitting the black churches going into NAACP. That's gone. We're now living in a world. It's a digital world, a technology world. They're getting information from different voices, from podcasts, from digital shows.
Listen, I pulled the data the other day.
I pulled that. I said, somebody I did. I've done your show three times. If you add up all the views, that almost hits a million. Guess what, it's some shows on CNN not even getting four hundred thousand people. So that's why those shows are mad, because people are going to other places. What I and look, sixty five percent of my YouTube audiences are black men. What needs to be happening here? The messaging absolutely has to change. They gotta be driving out more surrogeance. But what you are seeing is you are seeing her talk about the opportunity. But what also has to happen when we start talking about facts. When brother tell me, man Trump with with with the stimulus checks, I go, do you realize that Biden has gave you a bigger check in twenty twenty one?
Right, Trump gave us money? Then Trump Trump gave us Trump gave us money for HBCUs. Do you realize that Biden has given you a lot more for HBCUs. You realize that you try to really mess you up.
The budget that Trump submitted cut HBCU funding.
I didn't know that.
I didn't know budget that doctor Walter Kimbro, who's been a ABCU president for different schools, has broken down. He submitted budgets that actually cut HBCU funding. It was restored by cognists, but he's been commissioned a lot. But again folk failed for of the lie of oh no, I guaranteed them funding.
Not true.
So all these I saw your show. I saw your show when you did that. I saw that guest on your show when you had to check them. I remember I watched that. There you go.
So all these people who were talking about what they have it done, like again brug the Trump Department of Justice said we're gonna pull back on cossit decreeds because they hurt police morale. The Trump Jeff Sessions, Bill Barr. They investigated one police department, Biden Harris DJ They've investigated well, but they literally put cops in prison. So if you're saying who's been better on criminal justice reform, who's been holding cops accountable? It ain't even close. The problem is and I've criticized the White House. I said, y'all gonna have I've hit Coreine Jehan Pierre saying, when are you gonna talk about different podium every time they do it, I do it on my show. But the White House has not been aggressive at killing their own story with what Charles is talking about.
And that's real.
And if I interviewed the Vice president, were gonna talk about it. Now, if we're not in vice President, we're gonna discuss that.
My last question, I'm gonna throw this about it because this is, this is, this is a deep proportion, this is this is this is my thinking. And I'm not saying it's different than yours. It's just that being in corporate America, having the maneuver through the terrain that we both have had the maneuver through for decades, knowing the challenges that we face. One of the things that I'm popular for saying this flat of me. You know, I want to buy a house, I ain't buying it without you showing it to me. I gotta look in it. I want to buy a car. I want to see I want to chess drive that bad boy. I gotta see it, you know. And then I think about civil rights nineteen sixty four. I think about voting rights nineteen sixty five. I think about Lyndon B. Johnson talking about, we'll have the Negroes vote for us for the next two hundred years if we if we pulled this off. He was the president, but both Republicans and Democrats supposedly brought it to his desk to be signed, and the Democrats got all the credit for it. And ever since that time, to me, we have said to the Republican Party, we want nothing to do with y'all. And the Democratic Party has known this. So on one side, you got a party that knows they ain't gonna get our support, as your chart showed, so therefore they ain't gonna do but so much. And on a left, they know they got our support. So how much do they have to do for us beyond lip service, which to me epitomizes the struggle involving disenfranchisement to some degree. When we're talking about our community, it is fair for me to ask you, as my brother and my boy and who I respect, how right I am or how wrong I am in feeling that way what I just articulated. I'll give you the last word, and I'll lean on what you say.
You're partly right, which you gotta go back way further.
Black people, black people coming out of slavery, people of African descent formerly in slave pop ever descent, aligned with Republicans because there was a group called the Radical Republicans.
It was the Radical.
Republicans that pushed forward to thirteen fourteen Fifteenth Amendment, and they were posed to slavery. Then you had about an eight to ten year period of reconstruction. Black people were running for office. We were the they majority of a South Carolina legislature, on and on and on. Then there was an election in eighteen seventy six, contested election.
They cut a deal which is called.
The Great Confines of eighteen seventy seven, where they pulled the federal troops out of the last three Southern states. What then happened then the racist Southern Democrats took over and read all the black people out. What then happened was the Radical Republicans they stopped protecting black people. Black folks were anger. So then when you go through the you go through the black people. Half of black people. And Bruce Bartlett, longtime Republican, go to his Twitter feet he literally tweeted a bunch of this stuff earlier today that you go through the early twentieth century, more than fifty percent of black people were still voting Republicans. Then the Republicans start aligning with Southern Democrats. It was called the lily White movement. Y'all look up lily White movement. Herbert Hoover was a leader of a lily white movement. Then all of a sudden, you start going forward. Then what then happened, Well, a lot of these Republicans joined with Southern Democrats. They opposed FDR. But when it came to benefits for black people, guess what for losing black support? Night go to nineteen sixty Kennedy Nixon. Nixon was not aggressive and going after the black vote. That angered Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson talked about it in his book. And then you go to sixty four. Nineteen sixty four, it was Barry Goldwater Center, Barry Goldwater who opposed the sixty four Civil Rights Act. That's when the break happen. That's when black folks said, oh the hell with this here, We're done with y'all. And that's when it flipped. Then you go to sixty eight they began to and a lot of the Republicans were supported of civil rights. And then get go look at the very goldwater book, The Conscious of a Conservative, and it's that book where the shift began to happen. Then ye have the Southern strategy. They began conservative Democrats, the conservative Republicans, and people about to be blown away.
A lot of those.
Republicans supported the sixty four Civil Rights Act, sixty five Voting Rights Act, but they fill a buster the sixty eight Civil Rights Act. It was centered it would brook black Man, my alfor brother who broke to the bus in the Senate. But check this out and continued in the House. Because the Republicans were like, well, we don't want them living with us as well, they all joined with the Democrats.
King gets assassinated Eightril four, sixty eight.
They'l be Jason's a letter on April fifth, sixty eight saying this past his builder on his legacy is signed to law nine days later. But ever since then, the Republicans begin the dues, the Southern stri They begin to align with those Southern Democrats, those Dixocrats, and begin to drive on an issue of rates. And ever since then now here. So Republicans, you look. One of the first bills I wanted to blow your way. One of the first bills Republicans took up after Trump won became in twenty seventeen, they got rid of an Obama era law to end discrimination in auto house in auto.
Loans, one of the first bills.
So what Republicans have not done is Republicans have made a decision if we support a lot of this stuff black people care about, that's going to antagonize our white baits. Seventy percent of all voters stephen A in America are still white. So what you're seeing right now, the teamsters and all these union think about it. Bid Harris is the most pro union administration in more than fifty years. Why are some of these union workers still supporting Trump because they're picking whiteness and cold culture over their own pocketbook. We got to understand in my book, White Fear breaks it down. It's all there. Republicans are not going to support a lot of the issues that we care about because it does not align with their white base. That is a fact, and that's what you're seeing in the racial politic. And last point, real quick, but they keep saying the working class.
Working class quick, no, no, real quick, the black working.
Classes with Harris, the penut working class with Harris, white working class. That's who's not with Harris. But they always leave off the white part and don't want to talk about that. You've gotta confront whiteness as an identity in America to understand the American politics.
Even in twenty twenty four.
One of the things I'm determined to do is to have a white conservative on this show to debate against you. I would love to see that. That would be mussy television, my brother. I got to get on. I know you ain't running, I know you coming. Listen, man, I appreciate I appreciate you as always. You deserve the last word or that. I really appreciate that education in that perspective, my man. Thank you so much. Roland Martin, unfiltered, rolland unfiltered, get regular, will always get registered vote, go to the Dan Poles. Absolutely appreciate you, my brother. We'll talk soon. Thanks a lot saying it. Coming up, the w NBA finals are set. I'll break down the match between the Minnesota Links and the New York Liberty. Plus I got a little something to say about j Lowe Jennifer Lopez before the show ends. Stick around back for more to stephen A. Smith Show in a minute. Let me just take a second to make sure that everybody out there knows I'm in it to win it, and I demand nothing short of excellence, no question about that. And that's why, right here at the stephen A. Smith Show, We've decided to team up with Prize Picks, America's number one fantasy sports app with over three million members, to help turn all my sports knowledge into some big time cash. You see, Prospects is a daily fantasy app where you just choose two, three, even up to six players from your favorite sports teams and then pick more or less on their projected stats for the game. You like Josh Allen, pick them. You like Bryce Harper, pick him too, You like Travis Hunter, then damn it, pick all three. It takes less than sixty seconds to make your picks, and then you sit back and watch the winnings. Roll right in and get this sign up with code SAS and Prospects will give you fifty dollars instantly when you play your first five dollar lineup. You don't need to win your lineup to receive the fifty dollars bonus. It's guarantee. All you have to do is play a five dollars lineup on prozepects and you'll get fifty dollars instantly. Prize picks pick more, pick less. It's really that easy. Welcome back to stephen A. Smithsher right here over the digital areas of YouTube, and of course I heard radio. We'll start with the WNBA with the Minnesota Lynx punch their ticket to the finals last night, beating the Connecticut Sun eighty eight to seventy seven. The Links will take on the New York Liberty and the aforementioned Finals Thursday night on the s quick point. Lafisia Collie is no joke. She's something special, and you the New York Liberty. You gonna have to deal with that girl, Make no mistake. You're gonna deal with that young lady, no doubt about it. But it shouldn't be a problem. At some point in time. You're the New York Liberty, New York, Stay due, New York, Stay due, New York, Stay dupe. You're gonna win. This is your sixth NBA Finals. You're zero to five in the finals. You gotta win one of these. You gotta win one of these. Okay, you gotta be Hones Stewart. You got your next school. You were in the finals last year. Handing your business. It's time for the New York Liberty to close the deal. I don't give a damn who to Minnesota links have. I don't care how good they've been all year long. The Liberty has been right there. And if you could take out Asia Wilson and Plumb and Gray and the crew, you should be able to take out Minnesota. That's all I got to say. Hell with Hope. I have expectations. We need a basketball championship in New York. We ain't gonna get it from Saint John's Redstone. We ain't gonna get it from the Brooklyn Nets we have, we haven't gotten it from the New York Knick since nineteen seventy three. This is our change, Liberty, Handle your business, Ladies, handle your business now. Before I get on out of here for to day. I felt compelled to bring up this story. This story I got little hiccups going on right now. Courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter. It's entitled Jennifer Lopez gets candid on divorce scrapped tour and online backlash. Quote. If I see something that's hurtful, I'm not teflon. And then when she's asked to speak about some things and she's talking about how things unfolded, and you know, everybody, you know, everybody knows that she separated from Ben Affleck. Everybody knows what that situation. I mean, we saw it all in the news. Stuff like that. Before I say anything else, before I read some of these quotes. I've had the pleasure of meeting Jennifer Lopez on a couple of occasions. Jennifer Lopez is a wonderful woman, hardworking, very talented, very beautiful. Obviously, I met her when she was dating a Rod. I don't blame her for commenting on certain things, and I don't blame her for feeling compelled to speak because she you know, the paparazzis and stuff like that. You think people like me have it bad, ain't nothing compared to her. I mean, it's ridiculous. I'm telling y'all right now, I ain't seen shit like it. I mean, maybe Michael Jackson, Prince and a few other stars, But the way they get followed, the way they get mobbed, it's ridiculous, so us speaking of herself, I don't blame her, but the one thing that I do want to say, she's talking about the breakup, and she's being interviewed by that hilarious stand up comedian Nicki Glazer. You saw her with the Tom Brady Rose. She's off the chain. But Jennifer Lopez said to her this quote, it was like my whole fucking world exploded, she said. In recapping the year, the separation and all of this stuff from Ben Affleck, she said, moments, ladies continue. I think what I love about life that there's no arrival point. There's only getting better and growing if you want to. It's either growing or dying, and I don't want to do the dying part. And year there's times when I thought I figured it out, and then life goes. Let's send you another thing and see if you fall forward. Let's see if you really have learned that lesson and I hadn't. I understand that now in a much deeper way, which doesn't mean that I won't make mistakes in the future. But again, when your whole house blows up, you're standing there in the rubble, going, how do I not ever let that happen again. Ladies, gentlemen, you know what I took the liberty of doing. Before I get out of here, I want to say this. I actually googled marriage vows because you see Jennifer Lopez. And it's not a criticism, it's just a suggestion because I truly do believe you're wonderful and I'm a fan, and you've always been wonderful to me and I will never ever disrespect you. But you've been married four times four so I feel compelled or felt compelled to read look up marriage valus See, I ain't never been married, and I'm gonna take that plunge someday. I'm gonna take that plung someday. I'm scared as hell because trust me, it is a plunge. That's how I feel about it. I'm on a plank, all right. But let me say this. Reading marriage vows, I such and such take you such and such to be my lawfully wedded husband or wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life to having to hold from this day forward until death, do us part. That's what you're saying to one person. Where the hell are O the three supposed to come from? That's the issue. Don't get married. Don't get married no more until you know ain't nowhere at hell there's a slight, lightest sliver of a chance to you getting a divorce. I'd even tell you, give you incentive, and I'll end the show on this note. My boy Cardell Cardle Brooks, I'm doming them out on national airwaves or the international airways of YouTube. I'm doming them out. He's been on this show before, came on line from Vegas last year before the Aerospence Junior Terrence Crafford fight. Do you know what my boy, who I love daily, but damnit, he's a flaming idiot sometimes. Are y'all ready for this? Griff Sherry, Michael Rashawan, all your married ass folks out there. Let me not forget pot belly Galen. Do y'all know what Rashaan said, not Rashawn, what my man Cardell said. I want y'all to keep in mind, the dude's broke. He ain't got that much money, all right. I mean, he got a good job, but he ain't making. He ain't making it, ain't making book dollars. Right, you know what he said, I already got to preen up her dreaming agreement, draw drawing up it's true story. Who else leaves gets nothing, that's the pre nup agreement, no matter what. Here was his explanation. We said we loved one another. We said we would cherish one another. We would be there for each other forever and ever. You understand, we went up on an altar in a church before God and said, forever until death do us part. Where the hell are you think you're going? That's why he did. That's why all my boys, when he turned around, he couldn't find us because we was on the floor. We was laughing. That damn heart. He said. His prenup agreement is one sentence. Whoever leaves gets nothing. That's how he felt. Ladies, gentlemen, we were in our twenties. He's in his fifties and he still feels that way. The brother ain't all there, but I love him. And the funny thing is, if j Low had followed that mandate, might not be any problems. Whoever leaves gets nothing. I'm just speculating, not that ben Affleck needs anything from her, she needs anything from him. You can't have those vals and go back forth your head force and all of that stuff is legal, but that's why people are talking. So just be with somebody and don't get married. You are gorgeous, you are smart, you are incredibly gifted, you are incredibly accomplished, and like you said in that Hollywood Reporter article, you don't need much. You ain't looking for nobody, So stay single. It ain't like the brother gonna leave you because you didn't marry him. Who's leaving you if they don't have to worry about the paper as an amerriageificate, just a suggestion. That's it for this edition. To the Stephen A. Smiths, Shall want to take a moment to give a happy birthday shout out to my man Griff as in Thomas Griffin, one of my producers here, does a great job, gets all my last damn nerves every day. But it doesn't mean he doesn't do a good job, and it doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a happy birthday. Wish happy birthday to my man Griff. All the best to you, your two beautiful kids and your wife. Moving forward, my brother just stop getting on your boss's damn nerves and everything gonna be all right. Y'all take care. This is stephen a signing off until next time.
He's a love
