Television personality Stephen A. Smith says his comment about Serena Williams performing at the Super Bowl should not be taken seriously.
He somehow criticized the tennis legend on the February 10 episode of the ESPN First Take show while interacting with other co-hosts but now says the comment was made in jest.
READ ALSO: Stephen A. Smith Criticises Serena Williams For Crip Walking At The Super Bowl
“Please go back and look at exactly what I said. I was talking overall from a man’s perspective — highlighting what most men would think. I didn’t utter a single disrespectful word about Serena.
“No issues with folks getting upset about literal serious stuff one’s pissed about. This doesn’t qualify peeps. Come on. We were joking around on @FirstTake. Damn y’all! It’s not that serious,” The sportscaster said in a recent social media post.
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Serena Williams was seen dancing and crip-walking on stage during Kendrick Lamar’s performance of his Grammy-winning diss track targeted at Drake titled, Not Like Us.
The award-winning athlete is said to have dated Drake in 2011. The relationship is believed to have inspired the rapper’s 2016 song Too Good.
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In what sounded as an initial criticism, Stephen Smith stated: “If I’m married, and my wife is going to troll her ex — go back to his ass. Because you don’t belong with me. What you worried about him for — and you with me? Bye. Bye.”
He had suggested that the tennis legend’s performance was disrespectful to her husband, Ohanian, adding that her appearance could even be a subtle jab at her ex-boyfriend, Drake.
READ ALSO: Serena Williams Jabs Critics Who Say She Had Cosmetic Surgery
Other panelists on the show supported Smith’s opinion, but Ryan Clark urged his other colleagues to reconsider their views.
Molly Qerim, on the other hand, noted that though it may seem Serena was trolling her ex-boyfriend, her performance could also be a form of support for Kendrick Lamar since they both hail from the same hometown, Compton.
READ ALSO: Hotel Apologies For Denying Serena Williams A Table At Its Paris Restaurant
Stephen’s comment has since attracted some social media backlash, and that perhaps has informed his decision to backtrack to say he was just “joking”.
His excuse notwithstanding, some social media users have said Smith did not sound like he was joking when he made the initial comment about Serena Williams.
READ ALSO: Serena Williams: Tennis Superstar Sparks Divorce Rumors
Other users on social media blasted Stephen Smith, indicating that Serena Williams did not need the opinion of an unmarried man.
