ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith took some time off from his ongoing feud with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James to address a co-worker who called him an ‘Angry Black Man’ in leaked audio.
Last week, a clip of LA-based assignment editor and producer Ryan Bertrand and another woman went viral after being posted by James O’Keefe, founder of far-right activist group Project Veritas.
The audio seemed to capture the conversation between the two, during which Bertrand commented on the racial undertones of Smith’s ‘angry’ on-air persona.
The dialogue was about how Smith plays a role on television, with his accuracy not mattering as much as his delivery.
The remark came just days after the star personality signed a new $100 million, five-year contract with the network.
Now, Smith has acknowledged Bertrand, speaking out during a recent video with former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith addressed a co-worker who called him an ‘Angry Black Man’
Last week, a clip of assignment editor Ryan Bertrand and another woman talking went viral
‘It made me laugh. I don’t give a damn about what that person said, Smith said. ‘First of all, I never met him, he’s never worked with me, I don’t know him, and I don’t know why he would say the things that he says. I don’t want to sound wrong about this, but he’s a production assistant. I mean, that’s the kind of stuff that people do on an entry level position in this business.’
‘And there’s a lot of work, a lot of hardships, a lot of things that they got to go through in climbing that ladder. Well, no disrespect, but at ESPN, I’m at the top of the heap. I’ve been in this business for 30 years; you think I’m gonna worry about what some new beginner is sitting there chirping about? I could care less. Not even a little bit.’
‘And most importantly, as I’ve told you in the past, people gonna hate. People gonna come for you. And the higher you climb, the more you’re exposed, and they’re gonna try to pull you down.’
‘You have to be able to take it. That doesn’t mean you always have to be quiet. That doesn’t mean you never have a retort or a response but it means that at the end of the day – no matter what the circumstances are – you have to be prepared to be move on because you have bigger fish to fry.’
‘I don’t care what most people have to say about me in this business – let alone a production assistant. I’m not concerned about it at all.’
Social media accounts for Bertrand were found to be private after his audio leaked, with no public statement from ESPN on the situation.