‘Piggish’ Stephen A. Smith vs. Michelle Beadle ESPN Feud Originated with Ravens originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
It was to some a simpler time.
It was also a nastier time.
In 2014, the Baltimore Ravens finally cut star running back Ray Rice, but did so only after public pressure when a video emerged on TMZ showing Rice punching his then-fiancée in an Atlantic City casino elevator.
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The Ravens supported Rice for a time, and the NFL itself was accused of a cover-up.
The NFL claimed that it has done an “investigation” but somehow had never seen the video — until the media released it. (We were told at the time that the NFL did not ask the Atlantic City casino for the tape.)
In the aftermath of that cover-up, ESPN to a large extent played along, propping up Stephen A. Smith to offer an opinion.
Per Smith, the domestic violence incident served as proof that women should “make sure that they don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions.”
The NFL and the Ravens may have appreciated Smith’s outrageous support.
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His ESPN teammate at the time, Michelle Beadle, did not.
Smith is in the news for his “coverage” of the NBA Finals, which includes him choosing to play Solitaire on his phone rather than actually watch the game he’s paid $20 million per year to cover.
And Beadle has taken the opportunity to remind the world why she despises him.
“I don’t respect him. I don’t respect his work,” she told Front Office Sports in the aftermath of Smith taking her time slot on SiriusXM satellite radio. “This goes back to the Ray Rice stuff. He made some really piggish comments on the air. I responded; he got suspended for like two weeks. I think that was sort of the beginning of the end for anything … I just don’t respect him. … Not a fan.”
Stephen A. Smith (left), Ray Rice (middle) and Michelle Beadle.By Tony Fisher
Beadle, obviously no longer with ESPN, is also piling on regarding Smith’s work on the NBA Finals, responding on social media to Barstool Sports ripping ESPN for letting Smith soil its coverage.
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“No lies detected,” she wrote.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.