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Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
ESPN's Jay Williams Rips Stephen A. Smith For 'Asinine Comment' on Giannis Antetokounmpo
ESPN's often cartoonish Stephen A. Smith has proven time and again that he will find his way into the news cycle, one way or another, regardless of whether it's for good or for bad. But, ultimately, it's almost always been good from the lens of ESPN, because having Smith in headlines from countless media outlets at a near constant rate has proven to be exceptionally great for business. Advertisement There's a very valid reason the 57-year-old Smith recently signed a monster contract with the "The Worldwide Leader in Sports," inking a $100 million deal that will keep him at ESPN for the next five years. However, there's also a very valid reason that the man who chooses to play solitaire on his phone while in attendance for an intensely pivotal game of the NBA Finals is frequently ripe for loud criticism. And sometimes, even from his own EPSN colleagues. Enter Jay Williams, the former Duke basketball star and regular contributor to First Take, Stephen A. Smith's signature show, who simply could not hold back after Smith rather bizarrely referred to two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo as an "underachiever" during Monday's show. "That was one of your worst takes I've heard in a long time, man," Williams said in response to the "underachiever" comment made by Smith. "That was horrible ... It's always love, but I think we really need to do a better job of reframing some of these conversations." Advertisement "But a guy [Antetokounmpo] who has a 50-point closeout game [in the 2021 NBA Finals]. A guy who's never chased any of these dream team scenarios," Williams continued. "A guy who is a Finals MVP. A guy who is a multi-time All-Star. All-NBA, all-everything, global face of the game. The fact that he brought an NBA championship to Milwaukee, to Milwaukee ... to call him an underachiever I just think is an asinine comment." Williams went on to essentially say that, by Smith's logic, there's an exorbitant number of fellow professional basketball players out there who have seen great success that led to winning an NBA championship, but would still fall under the same bizarre umbrella of "underachieving." Unfortunately for Williams, in what was an otherwise solid and lengthy retort to Smith's click-bait type of claim, Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson never won an NBA Championship. Yes, Iverson absolutely did carry that 76ers team to the NBA Finals in 2001 against a loaded Los Angeles Lakers team, but he never won a title. Advertisement Nonetheless, Williams calling out Smith in a prolonged rant made for the type of sports entertainment that First Take was designed for, although even ESPN producers opted to drop some "time's up" type of tune at the 2-minute, 16-second mark of the clip. To put the cherry on top of what turned out to be a highly expressive morning for the 43-year-old Williams, he may or may not have purposely dropped a dig at Stephen A. Smith in reference to him apparently never being around. "He's only working nine thousand jobs," Williams said as host Molly Qerim sent First Take to commercial. Related: Travis Kelce Makes Major Physical Change Ahead of NFL Season ESPN's Jay Williams Rips Stephen A. Smith For 'Asinine Comment' on Giannis Antetokounmpo first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 16, 2025
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
NFL sideline reporter Laura Okmin announces shock exit from Fox
NFL sideline reporter Laura Okmin has announced she is leaving Fox. Okmin has become one of the most recognizable faces on the sidelines of NFL games after two decades with the network. She told Front Office Sports on Wednesday that she wasn't forced out by Fox, but rather rejected their offer of a new contract. Okmin said: 'They sent me the contract. I printed it out. I sat there. It was just my voice saying, "It's time, this is it". 'I'm happy to say [my boss] was very surprised. I would have been very disappointed if there was any other reaction.' Okmin spent last season working in a team alongside play-by-play commentator Kevin Kugler and analyst Daryl Johnston. She joined Fox in 2002 and, over her 23 years in the NFL, became the third-longest tenured sideline reporter in league history. Away from her NFL duties Okmin launched GALvanize, a mentorship space for women in sports media. After working on the sidelines for such a long time, she now wants to switch her focus to her new passion of guiding the next generation of female reporters. 'Honestly, it's a tough job having to justify your job for 20 years. Having to fight for your job and having to justify it,' she added. 'It feels like there's a bit of dog years with that job.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Aaron Woods refuses to back down and he slams Billy Slater for his dark reference to NRL coach's suicide as footy greats go to war over 'grub' attack
Former NSW player turned radio star Aaron Woods has slammed Billy Slater for crossing the line after the Queensland coach brought up Paul Green's suicide in a stunning attack on Tuesday. Slater was hitting back at Woods for branding him a 'grub' last week when he brought up the former Sharks star and Cowboys coach's tragic death in 2022. 'When you hold a position in the media or in our game, I feel that's a privilege. And with that privilege comes a responsibility,' Slater said. 'When you degrade someone personally in a derogatory manner, you probably don't deserve one of those privileged positions that we're all in. 'You don't know what people are going through. 'And although I might be able to handle it, the next person mightn't be. Maybe our last coach didn't.' Slater took over from Green as Queensland boss in 2022. Woods didn't back down when he appeared on his Triple M radio show on Wednesday morning. 'Those comments I made last Tuesday, I stand by them,' he began. 'You say something about a person, that person is owed a right to reply ... He's had seven days to reply ... he has taken his time, he's been very well thought-out, he's been very measured in what he's had to say. 'A lot of the comments, I agree with. 'But one in particular comment that he did make, I just thought Billy went a little bit over the boundary, and I just think it was really - I just think it was completely unnecessary for the situation.' Woods' co-host and fellow former NRL star Beau Ryan also hit out at Slater. 'It took a different turn yesterday. It's been blown out of proportion,' he said. Former Cowboys and Queensland coach Paul Green (pictured) left the footy world in deep shock when he took his own life in 2022 'It took a dark turn yesterday. From where I'm standing, Billy was waving the white flag. 'It looked like he's had a week to reply, you've called him a grub - I don't know if grub means something different in Queensland - he was a grubby player and all that. 'It's festered out of proportion and it's been the only thing people have been talking about before the game, which isn't right.' Woods raised the fact Slater kicked Wests Tigers prop John Skandalis in the head in a game in 2006 when he first made the 'grub' remark. 'I want to see the real Billy Slater come out - the grub that we know of. This is a bloke who kicked John Skandalis in the head and got a six-week suspension. Everyone wants to go 'oh he's such a nice bloke,' Woods said. Slater also said Woods doesn't deserve his position in the media after making the attack during his stinging return of serve. 'I sit in that position most weeks and you amplify your voice to millions of people. You're not talking to your mates in the pub. 'I know Aaron Woods. 'I actually ran into him three or four weeks ago at a footy game and he didn't voice that opinion then. He actually brought his son over to introduce him to me.'
ABC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Queensland State of Origin coach Billy Slater slams Aaron Woods ahead of Game Two in Perth
Billy Slater has referenced late Queensland coach Paul Green in delivering a pointed take-down to Aaron Woods over the former NSW prop's "grub" claims. In a dramatic precursor to State of Origin II, Slater questioned former NSW forward Woods's right to have a voice in the media after copping heat from him last week. The under-pressure Maroons coach also played down the spotlight on his own job, as Queensland fight to stay in the series at Perth Stadium on Wednesday night. But Slater saved the most poignant response to a question around Woods's comments. Woods made headlines last week when he labelled Slater a grub on Sydney radio, pointing to the fact he kicked then-Wests Tigers prop John Skandalis in a game in 2006. Asked about the issue on Tuesday, Slater questioned reporters if they really wanted him to answer before unleashing on Woods with a rally-like speech. "When you hold a position in the media or in our game, I feel that's a privilege. And with that privilege comes a responsibility," Slater said. "I sit in that position most weeks and you amplify your voice to millions of people. You're not talking to your mates in the pub. "I know Aaron Woods. I actually ran into him three or four weeks ago at a footy game and he didn't voice that opinion then. He actually brought his son over to introduce him to me. "When you degrade someone personally in a derogatory manner, you probably don't deserve one of those privileged positions that we're all in." Slater was then interrupted by an applause from the crowd at Perth's public press conference, before telling them "I'm not done yet". "You don't know what people are going through," he continued. "And although I might be able to handle it, the next person mightn't be. Maybe our last coach didn't. "I believe the character of a person is judged more on what they say about people and how they treat people, than what an individual says to create attention." Green took his own life in 2022, one year after coaching the Maroons in the 2021 series. A post-mortem found the North Queensland premiership-winning coach had been living with a "severe" and undiagnosed case of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. Tuesday's press conference was expected to centre around Slater's fight to keep the Maroons in the series and avoid a second straight defeat to NSW after last year's capitulation. Slater has made a number of bold calls ahead of Wednesday night, headlined by the axing of captain Daly Cherry-Evans and Tom Dearden's move to the number seven jersey. Before a question was even asked by the press at Tuesday's press conference, a member of the crowd yelled out "you're under pressure Billy". "What is pressure? To me, the opposite of pressure is comfort," Slater said. "So you're either comfortable or you're in a pressure situation. And I think you earn that opportunity, whether it's a player or a coach. "To be in this environment, you've earned that pressure. Because it means so much to the people of our states, it means so much to the people involved in the game. "But of course there's pressure. There was pressure in grand finals. There was pressure in State of Origin games and there still is. "And the day there's no pressure, I'll be a bit worried." AAP
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Explosive report claims angry Pat McAfee banned Adam Schefter from his ESPN show
Pat McAfee reportedly banned NFL insider Adam Schefter from his show after his ESPN colleague snubbed him for a rival program in March. The claim was made by the New York Times on Thursday morning. ESPN, in a statement reported by the publication, called it a 'rumor' and lashed out at people 'seemingly obsessed with wanting to see Pat fail on ESPN.' The Times said that McAfee was unhappy when Schefter turned down an appearance on his show because he was already appearing on an ESPN2 free agency special. The report also says Schefter will return to McAfee's show for the first time since the March incident later on Thursday. McAfee, 38, signed an $85million deal with ESPN in 2023 for his hugely popular 'Pat McAfee Show'. His ESPN colleague Schefter, meanwhile, is widely considered the most respected and distinguished NFL reporter in the business.
