First Take star Stephen A. Smith is back citing his anonymous sources, this time about Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson. Jackson has put together an impressive season that could land him his third MVP as the Ravens look to win the AFC North once again. But, Smith alleged that members of Jackson's “camp” sent him a message about his potential MVP candidacy on Thursday's edition of ESPN's First Take.
“Well, when you say a deep playoff run, can we, we need to be more specific. Damn it. The Superbowl, you got to get Superbowl. I mean, enough's enough with the damn MVPs and you know, his team texting me and stuff, ‘You got this wrong. Dan Olofsky is right. Stephen A. is Lamar all day, every day.' Get to the damn Superbowl.
Smith continued, aiming his comments at unspecified members of Jackson's camp, “But they, his camp I'm talking about, don't need to be chirping about him being an MVP, and I love him, and I love them all. But you don't need to be chirping about him being an MVP when you can't beat the damn Pittsburgh Steelers, considering what they've had at their disposal over the last few years.”
It appears that Jackson heard the comments from Smith, taking to his X account to respond to Smith's assertion that he'd been talking to members of his camp.
Jackson posted “My Campppppp???” with a cap emoji and a picture of a person hin a huge hat indicating that Smith is lying.
This isn't the first time that Smith has been called out for his sourcing. Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown asked Smith to “state his source” after Smith shared what an unnamed NBA source told him about Jaylen Brown in relations to the topic of if Brown was underrated.
“I wanted to read to y’all what an NBA source just sent me,” Smith said during the segment. “He said, ‘Jaylen Brown. It’s not so much that he’s underrated. It’s that he just not liked because of his ‘I am better than you attitude.’ He knows it. It’s the same reason he is not as marketable as he should be.’ That’s what an NBA source just sent me.”
Smith has even alleged that he's been connected to unnamed members of Jackson's camp before, such as in 2023 when he alleged that a member of his camp “absolutely, emphatically assured” him that the former Heisman trophy winner never asked for a fully guaranteed deal. This appeared to have been false as Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million extension with the Ravens with $185 million guaranteed.
Smith, a graduate of HBCU Winston-Salem State University and tenured columnist and beat reporter before becoming a full-time TV and podcast prognosticator, often relies on anonymous sources to add a bit of color and to his takes. While athletes such as Kevin Durant, Jaylen Brown, and even Lamar Jackson have refuted him in the past, Smith stands by his use of anonymous sources.
Per Snith in his response to Brown in late October, “I’m not saying you’re wrong to complain about it, just know you’re whistling to the wind. It took place long before Stephen A. Smith came along and it’ll be here long after I’m gone, that’s a fact.”
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