Stephen A. Smith: Dave Portnoy ‘ain’t demanding sh*t from me’

Stephen A. Smith seems willing to at least consider apologizing to New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, but Dave Portnoy will have to keep waiting for his.

Smith made waves Thursday morning on First Take when he accused Maye of being a liar. The accusation stemmed from Cam Newton labeling the New England Patriots as “fool’s gold” last week. But when Maye was asked about the comments during his weekly spot on WEEI in Boston, the Patriots quarterback brushed it off, claiming he didn’t even know what show Newton was on.

And Smith couldn’t believe that. Because how could an active NFL quarterback not keep tabs on the rotating cast of analysts on the great First Take? Smith accused Maye of lying about not knowing Newton was doing part-time work for ESPN, an accusation that drew backlash from many, including Dave Portnoy.

“[Drake Maye] is a liar…First Take is the number one morning show..don’t tell me you a athlete and you don’t know that. Don’t tell me you a athlete and you don’t know that Cam Newton is on this show. You lying.” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/kaxxptSMpY

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 20, 2025

After hearing Smith’s claim about Maye, Portnoy insisted that Smith owes Maye an apology. But not just Maye, Portnoy wanted an apology for himself, the Krafts, and all other Patriots fans as well. On his Friday afternoon show for Mad Dog Sports Radio on SiriusXM, Smith claimed he was just being facetious about Maye seeming willing to consider apologizing. But he had no plans of adhering to the Barstool Sports founder.

“I’m hearing Dave Portnoe [sic] is demanding an apology,” Smith admitted. “First of all, you ain’t demanding sh*t from me. Excuse my language. I respect Portnoe [sic] for a lot of different reasons. I really do. I’ve never had any issue with him. I don’t want to see no headline demanding an apology. What if I demand an apology for some of the things he says? So, please, give me a break.”

Smith said he only saw the headline about Portnoy demanding an apology and still wanted to read the full quote. But it seems highly unlikely that Smith will be convinced to actually apologize to anyone for assuming Maye must be lying about not knowing the cast of First Take.

“Demanding an apology? Please. No demand from Portnoe [sic] is gonna affect me,” Smith continued. “Let’s make sure we’re clear about that. But I respect him, and I respect what he’s accomplished and what he’s established for himself, and I wish him nothing but the best. Ain’t nobody demanding a damn thing from me. I’ll apologize if I want to apologize. And I won’t if I don’t.”

Maybe he won’t apologize to Portnoy for calling Drake Maye a liar. But the question now is whether he’ll apologize for repeatedly calling Portnoy “Portnoe.”