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Stephen A. Smith expressed his disappointment in ESPN for letting Ryan Clark go. He talked about his disappointment on his podcast.
"I am not happy about this decision one bit," Smith said about ESPN's decision for Clark on his Straight Shooter With Stephen A. Podcast. "The bosses know I'm not happy about this decision. I've made that very, very clear."
While Smith said he is going to miss Clark, some wondered if he could have done more to save his job. Fox Sports' Emmanuel Acho seems to think Smith could have done more to help Clark and save his job.
"Ryan has no issue with Stephen A. Smith, so I, by proxy, have no issue with Stephen A. Smith," Acho said on Speakeasy. "But Stephen A. Smith could have stopped this. And that's what's weird to me about seeing this apology is, Stephen A., you both have enough power to go to the executives and say, 'I don't want him to get fired.' And B, you've enough power and fiscal responsibility and freedom to say, 'I'll do whatever is in my power to make sure they don't stop this.'"
Granted, Smith just signed a huge contract extension worth $21 million a year with the network; however, the firing of Clark sounds like it's been in the works for months now. Clark was on thin ice with the network for months because of on-air conflicts with some of his ESPN colleagues, according to a report by "The Athletic."
Acho wasn't the only one who held the opinion that Smith could have done more, and neither does Smith's nemesis, Jason Whitlock.
"Ryan Clark got fired, laid off. Stephen A. Smith, the man with the $100 million contract, couldn't save Ryan Clark. Stephen A. Smith's leverage is a magic trick. It's loud, it's shiny. It works on the audience. It does not move one executive," said Whitlock.
As Whitlock pointed out, Stephen A. might have the money, but as ESPN has demonstrated, they still hold all the cards.
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Emmanuel Acho calls out Stephen A. Smith for not helping Ryan Clark
