Stephen A. Smith had time.
During Monday’s installment of his “Straight Shooter” podcast, Smith responded to his former colleagues at ESPN, Michelle Beadle and Cari Champion, after they separately took to social media to air out their own grievances with him.
Smith opened the show by addressing Beadle, who said Thursday that she’s praying for his downfall after the “First Take” host endorsed Papaya Gaming — which is battling a federal lawsuit accusing it of rigging games, as reported by Front Office Sports.
“You wanted my attention, you got it,” Smith said. “… I have not said a word about [Beadle] in over 11 years. Do y’all know? I don’t know her. You would think there is some beef that’s been going on that has been pervasive throughout the industry for years — it’s all because of her.
“… So when you hear her talking about me, please understand I don’t know her. I have no relationship with her. She says I don’t like her. How would you know? It has to be because of how you’re acting Michelle Beadle. It cant be because of me… If I don’t like you, which is true now it because of the multitude of times you’ve been on the attack.”
Beadle, who left ESPN in 2019, publicly ripped Smith — saying she doesn’t respect him, among other things — after the reveal that he would replace her time slot on Mad Dog Sports Radio with his new Sirius XM show, which launched this September.
On Thursday, Beadle doubled down on her disdain for Smith, saying it is “gross” that he would go into business with Papaya Gaming amid the ongoing allegations against the company.
Smith was named the company’s official ambassador for the first ever World Solitaire Championship in February.
Beadle said ESPN is at fault for “creating this monster that’s bigger than you now” because the company “let [Smith] run rampant” — adding that the Worldwide Leader “pays him a gazillion dollars to get a lot of stuff wrong and yell” on-air.
Champion, who hosted “First Take” alongside Smith and Skip Bayless from 2012-15, entered the chat when she responded to Beadle’s comments about Smith on social media over the weekend.
“I’m old enough to remember being on that show [‘First Take’] and getting in trouble based on some comments you said about women and whether or not they should know their place when it comes to abuse or non abuse — Ray Rice comes to mind, but I’m not gonna get into the details of all of that,” Champion said in a video on social media, which Smith replayed on his show.
“But Beadle just came for you yet again, like she did when I worked at ESPN. I wonder do you have that same smoke for her that you have for Jasmine Crockett, Michelle Obama, that you sometimes have for me and Jemele Hill.
“Do you have that same smoke? I’m sick of it. Keep the same energy and I call you and I root for… but you keep that same energy sir, for everybody.”
In 2014, Beadle called out Smith on social media for controversial comments made about domestic violence in the wake of ex-NFL player Ray Rice’s violent assault on his now-wife. Smith was suspended by ESPN for a week for his comments.
During Monday’s “Straight Shooter” show, Smith responded to Champion and said she should be ashamed of herself for her comments.
“I’ve shown you nothing but love,” Smith said. “What are you talking about? You were hired at ‘First Take’ in large part because of me… When have I spoken against you?… That is a lie. Me, dogging Cari Champion? When?
“And if I did it, why did you call me and root for me? What are you sick of? Or did you just want the attention… I’m not going to be scared by women that I have loved on for many years… Y’all are talking without facts.”
Smith went on to say that he was primarily responsible for bringing Champion to ESPN, despite the opinions of Bayless and others.
“Are you sick of the attention you’re not getting?” Smith said of Champion. “Because you’re not on ESPN anymore. I didn’t ask you to leave. It was your choice.”
Smith added that he helped set up a meeting between ESPN and Champion because she was “wanting to come back” to work at the network.
He did not say when the meeting took place.
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