Former ESPN host addresses Stephen A. Smith vs. Terrell Owens feud
What should have stayed within the walls of ESPN's offices years ago has morphed into something ugly.
Marcellus Wiley, the former NFL defensive end turned media personality, gave his two cents about the ramped-up feud between ESPN's Stephen A. Smith and Pro Football Hall of Famer Terrell Owens. Wiley, who worked with Smith at ESPN until leaving the network for FS1 in 2018, shared his insights on the source of their discord, Smith's working relationship with another former ESPNer in Max Kellerman.
As a guest on "The Joe Budden Podcast" on Sept. 14, Smith revisited the story on why Kellerman was taken off of "First Take" in 2021, reiterating that he didn't enjoy working with him despite the two co-hosting the show after Skip Bayless left for FS1 in 2016. Smith then proceeded to question Kellerman's credentials as a media personality to explain why the partnership ran its course, saying:
“I had mad respect for him from the standpoint of white dude, highly intelligent, Ivy League, educated from Columbia. Smart as a whip. Can talk his a-- off. Can talk about anything. I get all that. But you weren’t an athlete, and you weren’t a journalist. And the absence of the two components left people wondering ‘why should we listen to you?'”
As clips and reports on the podcast made the rounds on social media, Owens added his own fuel to the fire by sharing a post he was tagged in referencing an infamous "First Take" segment where he, Smith and Kellerman were discussing former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick's protests during the national anthem. Owens and Smith have since engaged in a back-and-forth about Smith's supposed dirt on Owens regarding a failed lawsuit the former receiver filed against him.
Kellerman's credentials arguably rival Smith's in terms of his contributions to sports media. Wiley referenced Kellerman cutting his teeth in New York public access television before moving toward mainstream platforms. Kellerman may have rankled sports talk radio when it came to his opinions on team sports — especially regarding the New York Yankees or Knicks — but he is firmly established as one of the premier commentators on the world of boxing, a realm Smith is not nearly as acclaimed in.
Smith and Kellerman may be loud personalities, but their approaches to sports debate could not be more different. If Wiley suspects that Smith was threatened by Kellerman, there's no question that we should expect a response from Smith, who never shies away from sharing his version of events, for better or worse.
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