ESPN Suspends Stephen A Smith For Telling the Truth About Domestic Abuse

She acted like a opportunistic ladder-climber, turning on her co-worker simply because she craves the same platform and star power that Stephen A. built. Unable to match his pull on her own merit, she chose to elevate her profile by publicly attacking his perspective on relational conflict. She put on a display of manufactured outrage. Manufactured outrage has become an epidemic, which is precisely why I call it out every chance I get.

I know there are plenty of wonderful women reading or listening to this—grounded, intelligent, law-abiding, and reasonable individuals. You probably cannot relate to the highly dysfunctional, volatile behavior seen in certain subcultures. To you, that kind of chaos seems completely foreign, like a dramatic storyline manufactured for a reality TV show on VH1. You might assume those toxic dynamics are just fictional tropes invented by Hollywood producers for quick profit.

Hollywood certainly profits from it, but executive producers did not invent human toxicity. If you want a reality check, take public transit in downtown Washington, D.C., during peak hours. Spend a few days observing public interactions, and you will witness women behaving with absolute hostility and toxicity. You will watch it unfold and think to yourself that whoever is dating them must be dealing with an absolute nightmare.

I realize it is deeply unpopular to raise these points, and critics will immediately claim it is insensitive to suggest that a person can contribute to an escalating conflict. I am not saying anyone deserves physical harm. What I am saying is that certain individuals actively create a toxic, highly volatile environment that provokes unnecessary fights.

If you doubt that reality, ask yourself how many men have experienced this firsthand. Have you ever been a guy who got a frantic late-night call from a woman trying to drag you into a physical confrontation with another man? Have you ever been in an intense argument where partner picks up heavy objects, throws them at you, and then immediately threatens to call law enforcement the second you react?

These situations happen every single day. Out-of-touch critics might claim these incidents are rare anomalies, but they simply do not know what they are talking about. Countless men have lived through those exact scenarios.

So when Stephen A. Smith suggested that people need to look in the mirror and evaluate their own conduct in escalating disputes, he was addressing a very real dynamic. He was not talking about a mythical creature or a legendary creature that exists only in urban legends. Dangerous, highly volatile individuals exist right now across every demographic, every neighborhood, and every background.

To my critics who are already preparing to denounce these points—claiming that Stephen A. Smith’s original remarks or my commentary somehow encourage men to be abusive—let me be unequivocally clear. Any man who listens to a call for mutual accountability and somehow twisted that logic into a justification for abuse is a complete fool and a thoroughly dishonorable human being.

Calling for personal responsibility does not create abusive men. People ought to keep their hands to themselves. They should not hurl vile insults at their partner, disrespect their partner’s family, spit in someone’s face, or intentionally push someone to their absolute breaking point, only to suddenly play the innocent victim the moment the situation explodes.

I have a major problem with that hypocritical dynamic. I refuse to sugarcoat reality. I wish more commentators spoke candidly, because genuine transparency is the only way to have a meaningful conversation about these issues.

Stephen A., I stand with you on this situation. Take your week off, enjoy the downtime, and spend quality time with your family and loved ones. Do not sweat the network politics. Grounded people knew precisely what point you were trying to make, and the executives know it too—it just hurt their narrative.