Screaming Stephen Issues Apology After Insulting Asian Americans; Nigerians Still Waiting For One

Stephen A. Smith, who reportedly makes $12 million a year to give the same controversial sports takes

Stephen A. Smith

your drunk uncle starts making a cup or two into the Henny over a game of dominoes — is in hot water with his bosses at ESPN after going off the rails before Monday's MLB Home Run Derby. 

In an attempt to offer incisive commentary on a sport he has proven again and again is out of his wheelhouse, unlike basketball which he covered for many years and was good enough to receive a scholarship from Winston-Salem State University, Smith used his time on "First Take" Monday to attack Japanese-born Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani. He claimed that the two-way player — who has drawn comparisons to baseball icon Babe Ruth — can't be the face of baseball because he needs an interpreter. 

But when you talk about an audience gravitating to the tube or to the ballpark to actually watch you, I don’t think it helps that the number one face is a dude that needs an interpreter so you can understand what the hell he’s saying.

Smith's rant drew quick rebukes from Asians, baseball insiders, fans, and much of the Internet. By Tuesday morning, with his attempts to spin the matter on social media failing and under pressure from the network he issued the following apology on Twitter:

The full rant is currently available on YouTube, until The Mothership nukes the evidence. It seems unlikely that Smith will face real punishment since his whole persona is to state something controversial that drives views and clicks and profit. In fact the same day his take on Ohtani was being roasted by almost every sports fan with a brain and without any swastikas in their home, Smith's butchering of the Nigerian basketball's teams names on "First Take" following their exhibition win over Team USA, had Nigerians demanding an apology and the team's official Twitter taking some shots of its own.