On Air Apology: Stephen A. Smith Apologizes For Advice To Women On How To Avoid A Beating
An on-air-apology was issued by Stephen A.Smith on Monday for offensive comments he made regarding the role women play in their own domestic abuse cases, The Guardian is reporting today. The on-air-sports analyst made a grave mistake when he suggested that women should be careful not to provoke men to hit them. The comments were made while he discussed Ray Rice’s two-day suspension for rendering his wife unconscious after a severe knockout punch.
The Inquisitr earlier reported that Stephen A. Smith’s offensive on-air comments were made during ESPN’s “First Take,” where he stated: “Let’s make sure we don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions.” He went on to note that while it is obviously wrong for a man to hit a woman, it is important for women to do everything they can to make sure that they don’t provoke the man to domestic violence. Stephen A. Smith has been an opponent of domestic violence in the family and has always encouraged his four sisters and mother to learn everything they can about the “elements of provocation” in a domestic relationship, according to the Daily Mail.
Some viewers were immediately outraged by his on-air-comments, stating that a woman should not be blamed for being hit by a man.
“So I was just forced to watch this morning’s First Take. A) I’ll never feel clean again B) I’m now aware that I can provoke my own beating,” stated Michelle Beadle, who followed that comment with “I’m thinking about wearing a miniskirt this weekend…I’d hate to think what I’d be asking for by doing so.” Beadle, who was once in an abusive relationship, feels that it was irresponsible of Stephen A. Smith to insinuate that a woman has a hand in her own beating, and that “violence isn’t the victim’s issue.”
The former New York native and Daily Mail sports writer, quickly made an attempt to recant or clarify his statements in an on-air-apology on Monday by telling viewers that he would never insinuate that it was ok for a man to hit a woman under any circumstances. He went on to say that he has dealt with domestic violence within in his own family but did a poor job of articulating his point of view on air.
Not everyone disagreed with Smith’s on-air advice to women on how to avoid a beating. “The View’s” Whoopi Goldberg didn’t think it was necessary for the sports television host to issue an on-air-apology over his comments. Goldberg agreed that hitting another person is never acceptable but states that if a woman does hit a man, then she should not be surprised if he hits her back.
On-air-apology statements have always made news headlines and facilitated deep discussion on a variety of issues. Earlier this year, MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry issued an on-air-apology for joking about a member of Mitt Romney’s family. In 2013, Martin Bashir issued an on-air-apology for making an offensive comment about Sarah Palin.
