ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith went on a lengthy rant about the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday’s edition of First Take.
Sound familiar? This time around, Smith was particularly perturbed by the team’s contract negotiations with quarterback Dak Prescott. On Thursday, one of his colleagues called him out for the take, explaining why Stephen A., of all people, should know why Prescott is leveraging his skills in contract negotiations.
Smith shared his opinion on reports that Prescott could command over $60 million, arguing that the postseason production doesn’t justify that.
“Here’s the deal: Dak Prescott didn’t perform well against Green Bay,” said Smith. “Dak Prescott didn’t perform in back-to-back years against San Francisco. It ain’t just Green Bay… He had a good playoff game his first go around when he went up against Aaron Rodgers years ago. And obviously, he beat an older Tom Brady when his swan song was kicking in in Tampa Bay.
“Outside of that, he hasn’t been impressive in the postseason. And you’re going to sit up there with a straight face and act like this man has a right to stick out his chest and command – from a business perspective because there is no tag. They can’t tag him… From a business perspective, I understand the leverage part. But just strictly in terms of talking football on the field, the nerve that he is in a position to command anything when he has done so little when it really, really counts in the postseason.”
.@stephenasmith doesn’t believe Dak Prescott should “command over $60M” with his postseason production in Dallas 👀 pic.twitter.com/Y4oUA9xwIp
— First Take (@FirstTake) August 28, 2024
Smith’s comments were addressed on Thursday’s Get Up, as Kimberley A. Martin referenced how Smith, amid his contract negotiations with ESPN, should know “better than anyone” that the power of leverage is important in negotiations.
“The nerve of that suit jacket being as loud as it is,” said Martin of Smith. “Love Stephen A., but he is way off base. If anybody should understand the importance of leverage, it is him. It’s what the market says your value is. And right now, the market is saying Dak has a lot of value and leverage in this situation.”
Kimberley A. Martin takes aim at Stephen A. Smith’s jacket and alludes to his ongoing contract negotiations while discussing Dak Prescott and the Cowboys.
“The nerve of that suit jacket being as loud as it is. Love Stephen A., but he is way off base. If anybody should understand… pic.twitter.com/5aYdUJmEI8
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 29, 2024
Kimberley A. Martin nailed it.
Both Smith and Prescott are in a very similar position of power in their own negotiations. So, for Stephen A. to say that Prescott should not use the perceived leverage that he has in his negotiations does indeed come off as a bit hypocritical simply because Smith is doing the same thing with ESPN.
