Stephen A. Smith calls Gov. Morrisey ‘childish' following NCAA investigation order

Video: Morrisey, McCuskey call for investigation into NCAA following WVU tournament snub
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — Following WVU's snub from the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey ordered Attorney General JB McCuskey to investigate the NCAA Selection Committee. But some, including sports media personality Stephen A. Smith, disagree with the decision to call out the NCAA.
In Tuesday's episode of the ESPN program 'First Take,' Smith criticized Morrisey's move to call for an investigation against the NCAA given his position as an elected official.
It's embarrassing for an elected official to take the position that he's taken. You know, literally calling for an investigation. You can complain, and he has legitimacy with his complaints, but to go this far and to really really try to force an investigation—it's utterly ridiculous, it's childish and you would like to think our elected officials have something better to do with their time on behalf of their constituency.
Stephen A. Smith on First Take
Despite the criticism of Morrisey's action against the NCAA, Smith did say that Morrisey's anger and frustration toward the committee was justified given that Bubba Cunningham, the athletic director of the University of North Carolina, was on the selection committee and his school got in over WVU.
'North Carolina does not deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament and Bubba Cunningham—some dude named Bubba—is not only the on the selection committee, he's the head of the selection committee,' Smith said. 'In the case of West Virginia, they did have a better resume because they had six Quad 1 wins and North Carolina like I said went 1-12.'
WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez's TikTok dance ban raises First Amendment concerns
However, Smith added that WVU was 'nothing to write home about' heading into Selection Sunday, citing the team's 10-10 conference record and the loss to last-place Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament.
'There is a case where it's justified to tell a politician 'sit your ass down.' This is one of those situations,' Smith said. 'This is not something that warrants an investigation.'
First Take Co-Host Shannon Sharpe also chimed in, criticizing Morrisey's use of the phrase 'miscarriage of justice' when referring to WVU's snub from the tournament.
'West Virginia, y'all got other things,' Sharpe said. 'This man out his mind. You mean to tell me Stephen A. that this man gonna call a press conference and do all this grandstanding and talking about a miscarriage of justice about a team not making the NCAA—not making March Madness? Is that what we've been reduced to as a society?'
Sharpe said that the phrase 'miscarriage of justice' could be better used to describe things like the education and housing situations in West Virginia. As of the latest rankings, U.S. News and World Report places West Virginia as 48th in education and 6th in homelessness rate.
Gov. Morrisey held a general press conference on Tuesday where he discussed energy in West Virginia. The topic of the state's investigation into the NCAA was not mentioned.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

New York Times

an hour ago

• New York Times

Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall ejected from Game 2 of College World Series

OMAHA, Neb. — Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall was ejected from Game 2 of the College World Series finals Sunday — and suspended for the remainder of the series, as relayed to the ESPN broadcast by the NCAA — for arguing with home plate umpire Angel Campos in the bottom of the first inning. Campos tossed Schnall after a strike was thrown by LSU pitcher Anthony Eyanson to the Chanticleers' Walker Mitchell with a runner at second base and two outs. An ESPN camera caught Schnall yelling in the direction of Campos before the quick hook. Schnall, the first-year head coach who has led Coastal Carolina to a program-record 56 wins, ran toward home plate to confront Campos. In the melee, first base ump Casey Moser fell backward to the ground. Ohhhh dear lord! 'You missed three pitches!' I'm not trying to read lips but if that was all that was said, to eject Kevin Schnall from this game. That is the epitome of brutality — Jack DeLongchamps (@JDelongchamps) June 22, 2025 The ESPN broadcast, after receiving a message from the NCAA, said that the umpire crew warned Schnall about arguing balls and strikes. He argued again and continued to argue after the ejection, leading to a two-game suspension. Coastal Carolina first base coach Matt Schilling was also ejected during the argument. Associate head coach Chad Oxendine is now in charge of the Chanticleers, with Schnall and Schilling removed from the field of play. Advertisement The Chanticleers did not score in the first, but designated hitter Dean Mihos homered with two outs in the top of the second to put Schnall's team on top 1-0. The Tigers evened the score in the top of the third. LSU won the opening game of the best-of-three championship series 1-0 on Saturday night.

Yahoo

3 hours ago

• Yahoo

Duke Star Sparks Injury Concerns After Being Spotted in Walking Boot

Duke Star Sparks Injury Concerns After Being Spotted in Walking Boot originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Duke Blue Devils are coming off a tremendous 35-win season that included a Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament, as well as both the ACC regular season and conference tournament titles. Advertisement However, after falling to the Houston Cougars in the Final Four, Duke is now shifting its focus to the 2025–26 season—and facing significant roster turnover. Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, Tyrese Proctor, and Sion James are all headed for the NBA draft, leaving the Blue Devils without five key rotation players. Despite the departures, Duke is reloading with another top-tier freshman class, headlined by the highly touted Boozer twins, Cam and Cayden. They'll also return some major contributors in Isaiah Evans, Caleb Foster, Maliq Brown, and sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II, who many believe is poised for a breakout season. That said, concern swept through the Duke fanbase this weekend after photos from a summer workout surfaced showing Ngongba on the sideline in a walking boot. Check it out: Ngongba dealt with a notable foot injury during his freshman season—raising concern now that he's been spotted in a walking boot. While it's still very early in the offseason and there's plenty of time before Duke's season opener against the Texas Longhorns, the sighting has sparked some worry. Advertisement The 6-foot-11 big man averaged 10.6 minutes per game last season for the Blue Devils, contributing 3.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 0.4 steals while shooting an efficient 71.9% from the field. If he can stay healthy and see an increased role in 2025, he has the potential to be a highly productive starting center for Duke. Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba II (21)© Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Fans reacted to the photos: "Every. Man. What kinda drills we doing at Duke tho? The Full court sprint twist & hurdle/avoid banana peels drill? Let's do some simple defensive slides," a fan said. Someone else added, "I'm sure we'll get a full, comprehensive update from the coaching staff immediately. Not." Advertisement Another fan posted, "Ridiculous, I hope it's precautionary." "One of two players Duke cannot afford to miss time this year. Hopefully it's minor," one more fan commented. Related: Kon Knueppel Makes Cooper Flagg Admission Before NBA Draft This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.

USA Today

5 hours ago

• USA Today

USC football countdown to kickoff continues—Tyron Smith in focus

The countdown to USC's 2025 football season is officially on! The Trojans kick off their new campaign 70 days from today. You need something to help you while away the days and hours in the spring and summer. This is one way to do so. In this new series, countdown to kickoff, we will be counting down the days by highlighting a notable Trojan who wore each number. Today, we take a look at former USC offensive lineman Tyron Smith. Position: Offensive line Years played at USC: 2008-2010 Career highlights: Smith served as a backup offensive tackle as a true freshman in 2008. As a sophomore, he earned the starting right tackle job. During his junior season, Smith was named first-team All-Pac-12 and won the Morris Trophy as the top lineman in the conference. After USC: Following his junior season, Smith declared for the 2011 NFL draft, where the Dallas Cowboys selected him with the ninth overall pick. Smith would go on to play 14 seasons in the league—13 with Dallas, and one with the New York Jets. During his career, Smith was named to eight Pro Bowls, and made either first or second-team All-Pro five times. Smith announced his retirement from the NFL in April. He is surely headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame once he is eligible.