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President Barack Obama And Stephen A. Smith Give Exemplary Messages About Stuart Scott

By Antonio J. Newell
Published on: 08:58 PST, Jan 5, 2015

Stuart Scott was a sportscaster and well-known anchor for ESPN. Known around the NBA and NFL world, Stuart Scott had several friends and fans. Two of those friends were President Obama and Stephen A. Smith.

On January 4, 2015, from the Office of the Secretary, President Obama made an official statement to express his condolences for the loss of Scott.

“I will miss Stuart Scott. Twenty years ago, Stu helped usher in a new way to talk about our favorite teams and the day’s best plays. For much of those twenty years, public service and campaigns have kept me from my family – but wherever I went, I could flip on the TV and Stu and his colleagues on SportsCenter were there. Over the years, he entertained us, and in the end, he inspired us – with courage and love. Michelle and I offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, and colleagues.”

A condensed tweet from his official Twitter profile reads as follows.

Stuart Scott had several catchphrases — many of which are used without the public’s knowledge from whom it originated. The following is one of his commonly used famous lines.

“As cool as the other side of the pillow.”

Long-time friend, Stephen A. Smith, also laments via Twitter.

During an interview with ESPN 1st Take, he stated the following.

“To be around Stuart, you had to be full of life. Stuart was about being the best, and there were a lot of times when we talk about this business and we talk about pioneers. People out there have got to understand. Stuart was incredibly unique. Obviously, the ‘John Saunders’ of the world are also unique.

But Stuart was unique in the terms of his delivery, the swag that everyone alludes to. And, often times, it’s never to denigrate or put down but just to highlight a difference, when you talk about other folks that may come to work with a job to do. But black folks come to work with a responsibility, because you have people emanating from our community talking about: ‘Alright… touch on this… say this… don’t let us down… they shouldn’t do “XYZ”.’

And everybody didn’t necessarily, immediately gravitate to Stuart’s delivery — his presentation, etc. But Stuart stayed true to himself, because Stuart’s message has always been — to the bitter end — it was always:

‘Be the very best of yourself that you can be. Don’t try to be anybody else. Don’t try to lie to the viewers or anybody else. Be who you are. Be as real as you can possibly be. (1) Work your tail off. (2) Push forward. (3) And constantly strive for excellence.’

And that’s what he was — not just as a professional but — as a father, as a man, as a brother. And it’s just devastating.”

Though Scott had been with ESPN since 1993, he battled with cancer for a number of those years. At the 2014 ESPY Awards, he received the Jimmy V award for perseverance and a standing ovation.

After which, he states, “When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”

Brilliant words from a man who will never be forgotten. May Stuart Scott truly rest in peace.

[Feature Image via Getty Images]

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