Stephen A. Smith: Mark Cuban’s comments are accurate

The internet has become very divided over the comments Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made in an interview recently. The fault initially lies with certain sports news outlets sensationalizing what Cuban said and taking certain phrases out of context. The point Cuban was trying to make is that everyone deep down inside has fears and can be prejudiced on initial reaction, but must can rationally filter that out. In doing so Cuban tried to make an analogy to types of people he would avoid.

“I also try not to be a hypocrite. I know I’m prejudiced. I know I’m bigoted in a lot of different ways,” he said. “I’ve said this before. If I see a black kid in a hoodie at night on the same side of the street, I’m probably going to walk to other side of the street. If I see a white guy with a shaved head and lots of tattoos, I’m going back to the other side of the street. If I see anybody that looks threatening, and I try not to, but part of me takes into account race and gender and image. I’m prejudiced. Other than for safety issues, I try to always catch my prejudices and be very self-aware.”

That snippet about avoiding “a black kid in the hoodie” was used to paint a different picture of the comments and point Cuban was making. He has gone on to Twitter to call out offending news outlets, including ESPN, for taking the quote out of context or not showing the interview in its entirety.

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On ESPN’s First Take, a show most despise because of the endless arguing between Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless, Cuban found a supporter.

“I took no issue whatsoever with what Mark Cuban said … not only because he was forthright, very candid and honest … but also he happens to be correct,” Smith said on the show, as transcribed by TMZ Sports.

“Yes he spoke about hoodies and how if he saw a black individual with a hoodie he’d walk across the street because hes uncomfortable with that imagery … obviously, he also alluded to a white individual with tattoos all over his body, his face and his head, he’d walk back to the other side of the street.”

“So if you’re gonna have a problem with what he said about the black person with the hoodie on, then you gotta have a problem with the white person he alluded to with tattoos all over.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t see a problem with that whatsoever. I don’t think there’s any ethnic group in America that should take issue with it as a personal affront to them as if he was isolating them or talking about them. He was simply being honest, forthcoming and very open about some of the fears and prejudices that he may have.”

Smith ended by saying: “I applaud his honesty and I took absolutely positively no offense to what he had to say.”

Did Stephen A. Smith just become the voice of reason in all of this? I think so. Wonder what Bomani Jones, who beefed with Cuban on Twitter, had to think about it.

Smith’s comments haven’t found their way to the internet in video form yet, but you can watch Cuban’s entire interview where he makes the comments and judge them for yourself.