Stephen A. Smith is once again shutting down rumors of a rift with his colleague Pat McAfee.
When pressed on the issue during an appearance on “In Depth with Graham Bensinger,” Smith insisted that he and McAfee are on good terms.
“We had a difference of opinion about something,” Smith said. “He thought I did something that I didn’t do. Somebody else had done it. So, once that stuff was clarified, we were absolutely fine, and we’ve been fine.”
Two years ago, The Post reported that the pair had a heated phone call, during which McAfee called Smith a “motherf–ker”.
McAfee and Smith reportedly had a disagreement on a project the latter was executive producing through his own production company, Mr. SAS Productions, which was set to air on the Worldwide Leader.
Smith had also been said to have banned McAfee from appearing on “First Take.”
At the time, Smith and McAfee told The Post that there wasn’t any animosity between the two.
Smith again denied any issue with McAfee on his self-titled podcast just days after the report came to light.
“There is no dispute whatsoever. Pat McAfee is my teammate,” Smith said. “Pat McAfee and I work together on ESPN. There is no banishment from ‘First Take’ or any other show. He is more than welcome to come on ‘First Take’ in the future and I’m gonna be more than welcome to come on his show.”
“I don’t know how many times I’m gonna have to say this but I’m gonna try this one more time, not just relying on a statement or a quote that I issued through ESPN. But I’m going to look into the cameras and say this to you, nationally and globally: I root for my teammates. I root for my colleagues. I don’t root against anybody. The people out there who do that are idiots. A rising tide lifts all boats.”
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