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ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith delivered a message to his newest foe, FBI Director Kash Patel: "I said what I said, I meant what I meant. I’m not stuttering." Smith appeared Monday on NewsNation’s “CUOMO” program to discuss the FBI’s probes into illegal sports gambling and rigged poker games involving current and former NBA players and coaches. And to continue his heated back-and-forth with Patel. The FBI chief last week dismissed Smith’s claim that the investigation, announced Oct. 23 amid the NBA’s opening week, was politically motivated, as “the single dumbest thing I’ve ever heard." Smith on Monday attempted to clarify his comments, saying he was not interested in a prolonged dispute with Patel. “Now, Kash Patel could act like I’m off my rocker, and, you know, all of this other stuff,” Smith said Monday on Chris Cuomo’s show. “He talked that nonsense all he wanted to. I ain’t got time to be getting into it with no FBI director.” “I’m not saying in any way that the investigation is not on a legal standing, that it’s illegitimate, or anything like that,” Smith continued. “What I said was for those looking for the President to spare them or to provide a helping hand of assistance, like he’s prone to do from time to time for people he likes, don’t expect that here. ... The man (Trump) is not going to forget.” Smith previously claimed President Donald Trump wanted to disrupt the start of the NBA season to send a message to a league he has long criticized over its social justice campaigns and valuable business relationship with China. "It’s not coincidental, it’s not an accident,” Smith said last Thursday on ESPN’s “First Take.” The FBI on Oct. 23 arrested 34 individuals allegedly connected to its two federal investigations, including Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player Damon Jones. According to the indictment, Billups and Rozier are among six defendants charged with “providing, obtaining and using non-public information relating to NBA games to place and cause others to place fraudulent sports wagers for profit, and to launder the proceeds thereof.” “This was a sophisticated conspiracy involving athletes, coaches, and intermediaries who exploited confidential information for profit,” Patel said Oct. 23 during a press conference in Brooklyn. As the two federal investigations unfold, Smith said the NBA is now “at the mercy of Kash Patel” and “the FBI itself.” He added that the president’s potential involvment remains a factor.
