Former two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Hogan called on Stephen A. Smith to “get off the ego train,” responding to recent controversial comments made by the ESPN commentator about New England Patriots defenseman Drake May.
Last week, Smith called May a “liar” for saying he didn't know former NFL MVP-turned-TV commentator Cam Newton had appeared on ESPN. First take. During appearance on WEEI afternoonMay was asked to respond to Newton calling the Patriots' successful run “fool's gold.” May said he didn't know what show Newton was on and went the right way by focusing on the team.
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However, the fact that May said that he did not know that Newton was on First take seemed to irritate Smith and he immediately responded to the TV show. Hogan defended May on the last episode Patriots Report with Price and Hogan.
“What is this Stephen A show? Get off the ego train bro” Hogan said. “I'm actually really upset about it because I watch it – and I love Cam, I can't say anything bad about Cam. And he's kind of entering a new era of his life on television, and I understand that. But man, you know how hard it is to play this position, no matter who you're playing against. And at what point did it become normal for us to try to tear down a 24-year-old guy?
“…And because he didn't, 'I don't even know what show he's on,' and that really pissed off all these guys about it. Like dude, no one [expletive] cares. Like, I understand. I turn it on and it's entertaining and all that, but this guy is 24 years old, has a 10-2 football team, and has had some success. He's not looking First take on Monday or Tuesday morning. …Cam, you know it. You are prepared. You did it all. You may have focused on a few things here and there, but you were one of the best players in the league. You didn’t care about all this nonsense.”
It's worth noting that Smith did retract his false comments (sort of) during episode Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Although he did not back down from his last point, he did say that he was not serious in calling May a liar.
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However, the entire segment felt odd given the ever-changing cast of guests. First take. Unless you watch the series religiously, it's hard to keep track of the dates and performances of everyone on the show except Smith.
Hogan continued: “Show some respect. I have this feeling. “Oh, I got the #1 show” – congratulations, bro. This is cool. Like, all you do is talk. [expletive] it's about guys all day, guys who work their butts off to get to this point in their careers.”
Winning in the NFL is not easy, no matter the schedule. The Patriots are a team few picked to make the playoffs in their first year of rebuilding under Mike Vrabel. Maye has developed into one of the league's best young defensive players, and the team currently has the best record in the NFL.
Sometimes you can just give credit when the time comes.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Former Patriots champ attacks Stephen A. Smith and defends Drake Maye
