Sportscaster Stephen A. Smith Will Reportedly Be Dumped from ESPN, His Contract Won't be Renewed When it Expires After NBA Playoffs

Well, this is hot news..... I don't dabble in sports, but my jaws dropped when I read that Stephen A. Smith won't be working for ESPN anymore when his contract expires after the NBA playoffs, according to The Big Lead blog. This guy was supposedly a "mover and shaker" in the sports world.

Smith and the network couldn't negotiate an agreement within the last month; according to the blog, ESPN's offer was lower than Smith's previous contracts. He decided to work through the remainder of his contract.

The Big Lead describes Smith's "screaming antics" and "downward spiral" as his ESPN TV and radio shows were canceled and he lost his sports column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The Pacman Jonesin' blog calls the report "an early Christmas present" and says, "ESPN basketball coverage will soon be a lot less irritating."

When New York Daily News columnist Bob Raissman wrote about the end of Smith's radio show in this April 6 piece, he praised the former host. "What's sad is that a strong, entertaining voice is leaving the local radio scene. Anyone intelligent enough to get past the screaming shtick found a mouth with a conscience. A guy with a different perspective on things. There have never been that many black sports talkies in New York, but when one with a style such as Smith's arrives, impact follows. Smith could infuriate, but when he did, what he said was not contrived, not telegraphed, like the drivel of many talkies on the scene today. Source: Lehigh Valley Sports

Mr. Smith was just on the "Steve Harvey Morning Show" earlier this week filling in for Mr. Harvey. Well, this is a part of the game. Let's hope we won't hear folks screaming racism as a reason for ESPN's decision.