Ray Rice’s two-game suspension stemming from the Baltimore Ravens running back’s violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy has been the talk of the sports world since it was handed down Thursday.
Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless discussed the topic Friday morning on ESPN’s “First Take,” and, per usual, controversy ensued.
In a rambling, two-minute rant, Smith insisted that men “have no business putting (their) hands on a woman” but also included a few questionable remarks about the “provocation” of domestic violence.
These struck a chord with “SportsNation” host Michelle Beadle, who responded to her ESPN colleague in a series of tweets.
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Shortly after Beadle’s tweets, Smith offered his own lengthy response:
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UPDATE 5:04 p.m.: Smith later added on to his series of tweets, issuing another apology through Twitter in an attempt to “effectively clarify” his thoughts from earlier.
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My series of tweets a short time ago is not an adequate way to capture my thoughts so I am using a single tweet via Twitlonger to more appropriately and effectively clarify my remarks from earlier today about the Ray Rice situation. I completely recognize the sensitivity of the issues and the confusion and disgust that my comments caused. First off, as I said earlier and I want to reiterate strongly, it is never OK to put your hands on a women. Ever. I understand why that important point was lost in my other comments, which did not come out as I intended. I want to state very clearly. I do NOT believe a woman provokes the horrible domestic abuses that are sadly such a major problem in our society. I wasn’t trying to say that or even imply it when I was discussing my own personal upbringing and the important role the women in my family have played in my life. I understand why my comments could be taken another way. I should have done a better job articulating my thoughts and I sincerely apologize.
