Stephen A. Smith stepped up as a voice of reason after Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley came under fire for golfing with U.S. President Donald Trump—just days after Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts dodged a question about whether the Eagles would celebrate their Super Bowl win at the White House.
In an episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, the veteran sports analyst—well-known for his political takes—addressed comedian and talk show host D.L. Hughley’s criticism of Barkley.
In an interview with TMZ Sports, Hughley said, “Saquon Barkley, he looks like that kind of guy that is indifferent to what black people go through.”
While Smith praised Hughley as a “smart, sharp, thoughtful, and conscientious” comedian, he also pointed out that Hughley has been critical of him in the past. This time, though, Smith felt Hughley went too far.
“Saquon Barkley is a football player. The Philadelphia Eagles won the championship. Trump is somebody he played golf with, just like former president Barack Obama is somebody he’s played with. Everybody is not into politics the way somebody like a D.L. Hughley is,” said Smith.
He continued, “Some people go about the everyday rigmarole of their lives, and to them, ignorance is bliss. Not calling Saquon ignorant in any stretch of the imagination, but to some people, ignorance is bliss. They wanna go about the business of doing their everyday job because they know they have no control over the apparatus and the system that’s in place.”
Stephen A. Smith argued that Saquon Barkley wasn’t making a political statement and shouldn’t be labeled or condemned simply for appearing with a political figure.
Saquon Barkley hits back at bashers after golfing with Donald Trump
Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley wasn’t shy about defending himself either. On Monday, he took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “lol some people are really upset cause I played golfed and flew to the White House with the PRESIDENT. Maybe I just respect the office, not a hard concept to understand. Just golfed with Obama not too long ago…and look forward to finishing my round with Trump! Now ya get out my mentions with all this politics and have amazing day 😂”
Barkley’s round with Trump came just a day before the Eagles’ scheduled White House visit to celebrate their Super Bowl LIX title.
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