{"id":2387163,"date":"2025-01-06T20:50:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T01:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/espns-stephen-a-smith-attempts-to-make-nfl-coachs-firing-about-race\/"},"modified":"2025-01-06T20:51:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T01:51:50","slug":"espns-stephen-a-smith-attempts-to-make-nfl-coachs-firing-about-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/espns-stephen-a-smith-attempts-to-make-nfl-coachs-firing-about-race\/","title":{"rendered":"ESPN&#8217;s Stephen A. Smith Attempts to Make NFL Coach&#8217;s Firing About Race"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fespns-stephen-a-smith-attempts-to-make-nfl-coachs-firing-about-race%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2387163&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>ESPN host Stephen A. Smith recently\u2062 criticized the New England Patriots for thier\u2062 decision to fire head \u200bcoach Jerod Mayo after just one \u200cseason, suggesting that race \u2062played a role in the decision. Mayo, who\u200b is black, finished the season with a 4-13 record,\u2064 and Smith speculated that the Patriots were actually interested in Mike Vrabel, a\u200c white coach who previously worked as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns. He expressed discontent with the firing, discussing the racial undertones of Black Monday, the day many NFL coaches are let go. <\/p>\n<p>Despite Smith&#8217;s \u200bclaims, Patriots owner Robert Kraft stated that the decision was based on the team&#8217;s performance not meeting expectations. Critics \u200bargue that this\u2062 firing seems to be merit-based rather than racially motivated, \u2062pointing to other examples in the NFL where black coaches\u200c have been retained despite poor performance, like Mike \u2062Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The discussion highlights ongoing debates about race and meritocracy in professional sports \u200dcoaching.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>On Monday, ESPN host Stephen A. Smith accused the New England Patriots of considering race when firing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/country-celebrates-natl-law-enforcement-appreciation-day\/\" title=\"Country celebrates Nat\u2019l Law Enforcement Appreciation Day\">head coach<\/a> Jerod Mayo after just one season with the team.<\/p>\n<p>The sports journalist said that the firing of Mayo, who led the Patriots to finish 4-13 this season, was &ldquo;about Mike Vrabel,&rdquo; who recently worked as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns but who is now on the market for a new position.<\/p>\n<p>But Smith added a racial component into the equation, given that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-new-patriots-head-coach-goes-woke-says-people-dont-see-color-cant-see-racism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mayo<\/a> is black and Vrabel is white.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t like this. They call it Black Monday for a reason. This certainly typifies it. I don&rsquo;t know why it&rsquo;s not called White Monday,&rdquo; Smith contended, as highlighted by the social media account Awful Announcing.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Stephen A. Smith on the Patriots firing Jerod Mayo: &ldquo;This is about Mike Vrabel. That&rsquo;s who they wanted&hellip; I don&rsquo;t like this. They call it Black Monday for a reason. This certainly typifies it. I don&rsquo;t know why it&rsquo;s not called White Monday. Doug Pederson got fired from&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/PsZFD7CrWR\">pic.twitter.com\/PsZFD7CrWR<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/awfulannouncing\/status\/1876317035933704241?\">January 6, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Doug Pederson got fired from Jacksonville. He deserved that firing,&rdquo; Smith continued. &ldquo;Jerod Mayo clearly was not given a lengthy enough opportunity considering what Bill Belichick left him with from a talent perspective.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Mayo indeed took over for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-huge-news-bill-belichick-football-hall-fame-rule-changed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Belichick<\/a> as head coach of the Patriots after <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2025\/01\/06\/sports\/bill-belichick-reacts-to-patriots-firing-jerod-mayo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">serving as an assistant coach since 2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Patriots owner Robert Kraft announced in a Monday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patriots.com\/news\/statement-from-patriots-chairman-and-ceo-robert-kraft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a> that Mayo was axed because &ldquo;the trajectory of our team&rsquo;s performances throughout the season did not ascend as I had hoped.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>On several fronts, one can only conclude that this was a merit-driven firing, not a race-driven firing, no matter how much <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/jaw-dropper-espns-stephen-smith-makes-trump-announcement-no-one-saw-coming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Smith<\/a> tries to import racial grievance into the situation.<\/p>\n<p>For one, Kraft was joining forces with other team owners, players, and commissioners across several sports leagues just a few months ago for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/public-service-campaign-blasts-kamala-harris-electric-vehicle-agenda-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Public service campaign blasts Kamala Harris\u2019 electric vehicle agenda - Washington Examiner\">campaign called &#038;ldquo<\/a>;#TimeOut Against Hate,&rdquo; an effort to expose purported anti-black sentiment in American society and other forms of &ldquo;intolerance,&rdquo; as reported by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/news\/sports\/robert-kraft-timeout-against-hate-campaign-rcna174789\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, we would expect an owner who signals toward woke ideology to fight as hard as possible to keep a black coach, not to look for an excuse to fire a black coach.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, there are rather clear counterexamples that exist in the NFL.<\/p>\n<p>As Daily Wire host <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MattWalshBlog\/status\/1876377700505395441\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Matt Walsh<\/a> noted on social media, the Pittsburgh Steelers have kept black head coach Mike Tomlin employed for 18 years, even though he has not won a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">single playoff game<\/a> in almost a decade.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s 0-5 in the post season since 2016. He&rsquo;s also black,&rdquo; Walsh noted. &ldquo;This narrative that teams are quick to fire black coaches is the exact opposite of reality.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Even in a culture awash with racial grievances and ideologies to support those grievances, sports remains a meritocracy, at least to some extent.<\/p>\n<p>Whether a coach is white, black, brown, or purple, he must bring home wins, or else he can have no guarantees about his job security.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Smith claimed that the New England Patriots may have considered race when they fired head coach Jerod Mayo after only one season. Smith suggested that Mayo&#8217;s dismissal, following a 4-13 season, was linked to Mike Vrabel, who is currently seeking a new coaching position after previously serving as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns. He emphasized the racial aspect of the situation since Mayo is black and Vrabel is white. Smith expressed his discontent with the firing, stating it exemplifies &#8220;Black Monday,&#8221; and questioned why it isn&#8217;t referred to as &#8220;White Monday.&#8221; He also pointed out that Doug Pederson deserved his firing from Jacksonville but argued that Mayo didn&#8217;t receive enough time given the talent he inherited from Bill Belichick. Patriots owner Robert Kraft stated that Mayo was let go due to unsatisfactory team performance throughout the season. Despite Smith&#8217;s claims of racial bias, evidence suggests this decision was based on merit rather than race; Kraft has been involved in initiatives against hate and intolerance in sports. Additionally, examples like Mike Tomlin\u2019s long tenure with the Steelers challenge Smith\u2019s narrative about quick firings of black coaches in the NFL\u2014Tomlin has not won a playoff game in nearly ten years yet remains employed. Ultimately, success on the field remains crucial for job security regardless of a coach&#8217;s race<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2387164,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Smith-and-Mayo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[25032,7215,35291,37014,32150],"class_list":["post-2387163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-coaching","tag-nfl","tag-race-relations","tag-sports-commentary","tag-stephen-a-smith"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Smith-and-Mayo.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2387163"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387163\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2387167,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387163\/revisions\/2387167"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2387164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2387163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2387163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2387163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}