Stephen A. Smith Responds To Leaked Audio Of Ryan Bertrand Labelling Him ‘Angry Black Man’

There’s some leaked audio of Ryan Bertrand calling Stephen A. Smith an “angry black man.” Like seriously? I mean, what a way to start some beef!

Now, first things first, we all know Stephen A. is one passionate man. That’s what we love about him, right? He’s not afraid to speak his mind and show his emotions. And calling him angry just because he’s black? That’s ridiculous.

Stephen A. wasted no time in responding to the leaked audio despite his ongoing feud with NBA star LeBron James.

Last week, a clip of LA-based assignment editor and producer Ryan Bertrand and another woman went viral after being posted by James O’Keefe, founder of far-right activist group Project Veritas.

The audio seemed to capture the conversation between the two, during which Bertrand commented on the racial undertones of Smith‘s ‘angry’ on-air persona.

The remark came just days after the star personality signed a new $100 million, five-year contract with the network.

Now, Smith has acknowledged Bertrand, speaking out during a recent video with former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III.

‘It made me laugh. I don’t give a damn about what that person said, Smith said. ‘First of all, I never met him, he’s never worked with me, I don’t know him, and I don’t know why he would say the things that he says. I don’t want to sound wrong about this, but he’s a production assistant. I mean, that’s the kind of stuff that people do on an entry level position in this business.’

‘And there’s a lot of work, a lot of hardships, a lot of things that they got to go through in climbing that ladder. Well, no disrespect, but at ESPN, I’m at the top of the heap. I’ve been in this business for 30 years; you think I’m gonna worry about what some new beginner is sitting there chirping about? I could care less. Not even a little bit.’

‘And most importantly, as I’ve told you in the past, people gonna hate. People gonna come for you. And the higher you climb, the more you’re exposed, and they’re gonna try to pull you down.’

‘You have to be able to take it. That doesn’t mean you always have to be quiet. That doesn’t mean you never have a retort or a response but it means that at the end of the day – no matter what the circumstances are – you have to be prepared to be move on because you have bigger fish to fry.’

‘I don’t care what most people have to say about me in this business – let alone a production assistant. I’m not concerned about it at all.’

So, Stephen A., you keep doing what you do best – speaking your mind and standing up for what’s right. And to Bertrand, think twice before you let comments like that slip out of your mouth again. This is not the kind of behavior needed, and it’s not going to be tolerated by anyone.

Flip to the next page to listen to the leaked audio…

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