Marcellus Wiley’s feud with Stephen A. Smith continues with the former NFL defensive end taking the next jab.
One week after Smith pushed back on Wiley’s Max Kellerman comments during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club,” Wiley called out Smith for “sidestepping the truth” and twisting his comments into something “hypocritical” — given what happens regularly on “First Take,” according to Wiley.
“I couldn’t let you keep doing that to Max Kellerman because that dude has earned his stripes,” Wiley said Thursday in a video posted on X. “So I’m just giving you that energy, that same energy you gave to Max Kellerman and that same energy you give to countless athletes. To say that I was wrong as a black man to question another black man’s intellect on a public platform, which I didn’t do, I didn’t question it, but I do know that you do question the intellect, the heart, the talent of black athletes every damn day on that show.
“That’s very rich of you, to try and make what I said into something you do every single day, which is highly hypocritical of you, Stephen A.”
Their back-and-forth dates back to when Wiley, a former ESPN and FS1 host, blasted Smith for not treating the situations of Max Kellerman — who Smith pushed off “First Take” — and Shannon Sharpe, who left “Undisputed,” with the same tone.
Wiley even speculated that Smith could’ve pushed out Kellerman because he was “smarter” than Smith and didn’t play the “role” that the longtime host desired.
“Stephen A. gets a salute from all, especially me, because I respect his work ethic,” Wiley said on his “Move It with Marcellus Wiley” podcast last month, “but right now, and a lot of people are seeing it right before our very eyes, no love and no respect, for your ethics.”
Then, last week, Smith responded and said that he “would never in a million years say one black man is scared of the intellect of a white man.”
Wiley, he added, went too far with his comments, but Smith said it’s “sad that he would go that route” despite the mutual respect they share from working together.
“Here’s my only issue: For a black man to stand up there and say another black man is scared of somebody’s intellect, come on bro,” Smith said. “That’s just a line you’re crossing. I have nothing to say other than that. That’s sad that he would go that route. I guess he’s going to get attention because everybody watches ‘The Breakfast Club’ every chance we get and you’re going to see us talk about it.”
Kellerman was part of ESPN’s massive round of layoffs in June, less than two years after The Post’s Andrew Marchand reported that he was expected to get shifted off “First Take” in favor of a rotating group of partners for Smith.
Sharpe left “Undisputed” in June after reaching a buyout agreement and has since appeared on “First Take,” and Smith alleged in September that Sharpe — whose tension with co-host Skip Bayless became clear as their breakup neared — was pushed out at FS1.
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