Stephen A. Smith disclosed his experience with Skip Bayless and ESPN, stating that Bayless’ infatuation with Tim Tebow did not sit well with the network’s executives.
Smith revealed this during his discussion on the FanDuel podcast, reflecting on their debates on “First Take” from 2012 to 2016, as well as a period of probation they faced as a result of Bayless’ excessive Tebow coverage.
Addressing Bayless’ recent comments on “Undisputed,” Smith shed light on the fact that Bayless conveniently left out the bosses’ disapproval of his prior behavior.
The network heads were aware that Bayless heavily focused on Tim Tebow before Smith’s arrival, leading to criticism from the public, who accused him of becoming a caricature of himself.
Bayless took great pride in his Tim Tebow coverage, but the bosses held a different opinion.
Smith went on to mention that while “First Take” had seen a significant increase in ratings, the bosses weren’t particularly pleased with Bayless consistently discussing Tebow.
Skip left some things out when speaking on some past First Take moments pic.twitter.com/rDBW99Vefl
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) August 31, 2023
“That’s the part he left out,” Smith said. “I wasn’t the only reason that probationary period per se. It existed because the network wanted to make sure that our show wasn’t one that just generated ratings, but one that didn’t cause them embarrassment and shame.
“Now, I didn’t want to talk about Tebow everyday … But to be fair to Skip, it did elevate the popularity of the show to some degree … In the end, the bosses weren’t too happy with it and that’s where the probational period came from too. So I thought Skip left that out so I wanted to make sure I highlighted that.”
Smith also took to Twitter to share a video of himself discussing Bayless, revealing that Bayless had omitted certain details when discussing past moments on “First Take.”
On the recent episode of “Undisputed,” featuring new co-hosts Richard Sherman and Michael Irvin, Bayless brought up his notorious on-air altercation with Sherman in 2013.
During that incident, Sherman referred to Bayless as an “egotistical cretin” among other things.
Bayless explained that he was unable to retaliate in his usual manner due to “First Take” being on probation and both Smith and Bayless fighting for an afternoon slot on ESPN.
Smith confirmed that Sherman’s appearance ultimately hindered their chances of getting “First Take” moved to the afternoon slot.
Bayless’ excessive coverage of Tim Tebow was also not the solution for long-term success.
Got a story or tip for us? Email TMSPN editors at [email protected]
Want More From The World Wide Leader in Sports Entertainment?
For all the latest breaking in sports entertainment news, be sure to follow TMSPN.com on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
