Stephen A. Smith defended his ESPN colleague Elle Duncan for her comments about Daniel Jones on Thursday evening’s airing of ‘Sportscenter.’
According to Smith, the New York Giants reached out to the network upset with Duncan’s pointed take on the quarterback. Jones was cut by the team on Friday morning after he asked team owner John Mara to be released.
He was demoted to third-string QB earlier this week as New York stumbled to a 2-8 start. The former 2019 first-round pick is in the second year of a partially guaranteed four-year, $160 million contract. The Giants would pay him a guaranteed $25 million if he was injured next season and partially removed him from the starting lineup to financially safeguard themselves.
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Jones spoke with the media on Thursday for the first time following his release, prefacing his statement by saying he “Wrote something down to make sure I say this the right way.”
During her ‘Taking the Elle’ segment on Thursday’s ‘Sportscenter,’ Duncan took aim at the beleaguered Giants quarterback. ““I’m sorry, you have to write this down? Didn’t you go to Duke?” she said. “You guys think he had this saved in his notes since like 2020?”
“In all seriousness, DJ, I could have saved you like 90 seconds,” Duncan said. “A rewrite: I’m sorry you paid me $108 million for one playoff win. And I look forward to reviving my career as Brock Purdy’s backup. The end.”
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones lost his starting job earlier this week (
Image:
Getty Images)
In a fiery Friday morning rant on ‘First Take,’ Smith insinuated a Giants staffer reached out to ESPN directly taking offense to Duncan’s comments.
Additionally, Pat Hanlon – New York’s Senior Vice President of Communications – took to X directly to address her remarks. “That an ESPN personality would mock Daniel Jones’ statement today is mind-boggling,” he posted. “Given what has happened at that company over [the] past few years, tone deaf.”
Smith feverishly defended his colleague. “The New York Giants, respectfully, shut the hell up,” he proclaimed. “Y’all are awful as an organization. You won a Super Bowl in 2007. You won a Super Bowl in 2011. Outside of that since 2011, the Giants have made the playoffs twice. They’ve won one playoff game.”
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“And you got the nerve to sit up there and call the offices to complain to executives about somebody that went on national television to do their job. Why don’t you do your damn job as an organization?”
‘First Take’ cameras panned to Duncan coyly sipping her drink on the side. “Y’all are sorry! Y’all are pathetic!” Smith continued. “The only reason who get away with it is because the Jets have been worse.”
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