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Retaliation, says Smith
ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith has attracted criticism on social media after claiming the FBI’s ongoing investigation into illegal sports betting and rigged poker was a retaliatory political move backed by President Donald Trump.
Smith made the incendiary comments about President Trump on his ESPN show ‘First Take’ on Thursday, following the morning arrests of Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. “When you’ve got all these protests going on out there, protesting against him …
this man is coming, he’s coming.”
After backlash from the ESPN show, Smith took to X to defend himself but only seemed to stir up more criticism:
Initially, Smith referenced Trump’s “long, long history with sports” and the casinos he once owned as his “connection” to the ongoing gambling scandal.
A Biden mistake
Smith said NBA’s opening night was “smeared” because of the Billups, Rozier arrests, warning: “Don’t be surprised if the WNBA is next on his list.”
The backlash on social media was mostly centred on Smith’s allegations the FBI betting investigation started when Joe Biden was in office. The probe actually started after the NBA opened an investigation into the now banned-for-life ex-Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter in March 2024. Biden’s time as POTUS ended on January 1, 2025.
A comment on X responding to Smith summed up the criticism. X user @slizzyslightzz praised Smith’s recent form on his radio show Mad Dog Sports Radio but added: “you can’t say trump is coming for the NBA, WBNA, NFL etc then say it’s been happening while the biden admin also carried this investigation out, AND these allegations are WILD!”
The FBI Director who broke the Billups, Rozier US mafia linked scandal on Thursday slammed Smith for alleging the President was behind both the arrests and the FBI press conference.
All about crime
FBI Director Kash Patel responded to Smith’s rant on Fox News on Thursday, stating the decision to make arrests laid with him, not the US leader. Patel added Smith’s claim: “may be the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard out of anyone in modern history.” Patel asserted:
We arrest people for crimes”
X user Daniel M’s parting shot followed Smith’s response to the Fox News segment that he “never denied or failed to mention” the FBI probe had been going on for years. “Walking it back without addressing the core issue — the alleged crimes themselves — just comes across as avoiding accountability. Sometimes it’s better to admit the take was wrong rather than double down on a shaky position,” the X user advised.
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