Stephen A's Take: Stephen A responds to DL Hughley slamming NFL RB Barkley's White House visit and his wife.

Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
I'm gonna start here with a mixture of sports and politics.
Like I articulated, the Philadelphia Eagles went to the White
House on Monday to celebrate the Super Bowl victory with
President Donald Trump. The trip is a time honored trip
that most teams make upon winning a championship. However, not
everyone with the team or organization makes the trip for
whatever reason. As for the Philadelphia Eagles, not everyone made

(00:25):
the trip, including the Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts. Others
not in attendance included wide receivers AJ Brown and Devonte Smith,
linebacker Zach Bonn, defensive ends Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat,
and defensive tackled Jalen Carter. Running Back Saquon Barkley did
attend the ceremony, and President Trump had this to say

(00:46):
about the Eagles star running back. Take a listen, and.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
By the way, I have to tell you something. I
was with the Giants and the head coach and some people,
and I said, do anything you have to, but don't
lose Saquon. He lo that was not good. I called
that one. That was That was an easy one to
call because he played damn well for the Giants.

Speaker 1 (01:10):
I can tell you that sat Quan's appearance didn't sit
well with comedian and talk show host Dale Hubley. Take
a listen to what Dale had to say about Barkley
and other black people who visit the White House in general,
particularly the Trump White House fourteen players said, I'm gonna
boycott this. Who side are you on?

Speaker 2 (01:29):
I think that it's not just political. What Donald Trump
has done and is doing to Black history is as
onsavory and is undeniable. Donald Trump is deliberately trying to
erase black people's history for whatever quest. He's elevating Christopher
Columbus again. So he deliberately is doing things to black
people that isn't just political, and any black man that

(01:52):
does it is going to obviously catch some level of
heat when a black person does it. I can all
when it's a black person, I can always tell what
kind of black person. I can always tell with that
whoa whoa?

Speaker 1 (02:02):
Wait, what does that mean?

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yale sa Kwon Barkley, he had a girlfriend that threw
around the N word a lot. They said she wasn't
the gold there, she wasn't messing with no broke in words,
he looks like that kind of guy that is indifferent
to what black people go through. It's just true, and
I think all every I've noticed that to be consistent
with a lot of black people show up, they have
a shoe booty affect to them.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
Here's what sa Kuon Barkley posted on X to critics
of his appearance at the White House. Quote, laugh out loud.
Some people are really upset because I played golf 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

(02:43):
forward to finishing my round with Trump. Now you get
out my mentions with all this politics and have an
amazing day. End quote. Saquon Barkley wouldn't have been as
flippant as Saquon Barkley, but I understand his underlying point.
Ladies and gentlemen, we've got to be bigger than that.

(03:07):
I'm not here to in sod or castigate D. L.
Hugly in any way. I think that he's a sensational
comedian who's made us laugh for many many years. Kings
of Comedy and this D. L. Hugly show on ABC
come to mind. He's done outstanding work. Throughout the years.
He is smart, he is sharp, he is thoughtful, he

(03:27):
is conscientious, and I think overall he's a good brother.
He has been critical of me in the past. I
do not care. He is entitled to his opinion, and
we are entitled to disagree with what we have to
disagree with. But in this particular instance, I think he
has to be bigger than that. Sae Kwon Barkley is
a football player. The Philadelphia Eagles won the championship. Trump

(03:50):
is somebody he's 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 o. Everybody
is not paying attention to every policy that's put out there,
every executive order that's issued, or whatever the case may be.
Everybody's not doing that. Some people go about the everyday

(04:12):
rigmarole of their lives, and to them, ignorance is bliss.
Not calling Saquon ignorant in any stretch of it, by
any stretch of the imagination. But to some people, ignorance
is bliss. They want to 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,
you're not going to change it. So they're not trying

(04:33):
to live their life with everything being a protest. That's
their position. We might not like it, but in the
same breath, they're entitled to do so and they should
be able to do so without us looking down on them.
To get to DL Hughgly's points directly stigmatizing black folks

(04:55):
saying you know who they are, you know who they are,
and using that example to describe Sakwan Barakli. I'm not
saying she's a gold digger, but she ain't messing with
no broke. Really, that's what we're doing, because why what
evidence do you have that that's how they think. I
can give you a myriad of issues that affect people's thinking.

(05:17):
Some people are about money and they think money changes everything.
Some people look at politicians as just speaking and running
their mouths okay and really really just you know, politicizing
things and grant standing. Some people look at politicians and
they say, Okay, you're willing to say one thing, but

(05:37):
you're willing to work across the aisle and make things happen.
Some people look at politicians and say, you can't believe
a damn thing they say on either side of the aisle,
because most of them are bought and paid for in
a lot of people's eyes. People bring that stuff up
all the time. Some people are more politically conscientious than
others's case. Some would even describe him as an activist

(06:04):
in this day time, and we know his positions. Donald
Trump questioned Barack Obama's birthright legitimacy. Donald Trump is against
black people. This is what DL Hughlely has said before.
He doesn't have our interests at heart at all. Some

(06:27):
people could turn around and look at Dial Hugly and say, well,
if black folks are giving the Democratic Party eighty five
to ninety percent of the vote, when do you expect
the other The politician on the other side of the
holly care because they're going to cater it in a
constituency whoever's going to get them into elected office. But
more importantly than that, let me get or rather bring

(06:50):
this home for everybody to understand. Common sense has to
kick in. When I thought about what Dil Hugley said,
I thought about what he would think about me as
an ambassador for HBCU week led by this wonderful, wonderful
woman by the name of Ashley Christopher based out of Delaware.

(07:14):
We've collaborated and assisted one another in raising nearly one
hundred million dollars in scholarships for over twelve thousand students
at HBCUs. If we're hearing reports that the federal government
may diminish funds that were being allocated to HBCUs, and

(07:36):
Trump invited somebody like myself to come to the White
House and have a conversation with him, I'm not supposed
to do that. I'm supposed to ignore it. I'm supposed
to look at his position at Dee on DEI. I'm
supposed to look at him closing the borders. I'm supposed
to look at his positions with tariffs. I'm supposed to
look at him trying to disband, if not eradicate the

(07:59):
education Department. I'm supposed to look at him saying I'm
not about defunding the police. I'm supposed to look at
him and say, you know what, I question his vitrial
towards Black Lives matter, et cetera, et cetera, And as
a result, I'm supposed to not go to the White House.
I'm supposed to not do what I can to try

(08:20):
to influence him in making a difference. See when I
think about D. L. Hughley, and I think about this
highly intelligent and accomplished brother who has a voice and
who could possibly, in an all likelihood impact very formidable lives.
I think about that DL Hugly and I say to myself,

(08:43):
why would you cut off your knees this spite your face,
or cut off your nose this bye your face? Why
not keep an open mind? Why not leave yourself open
to the possibility that you can communicate with the very
people whose actions you may abhor on a political in
a political spectrum, because guess what, you may have the
impact to create chain and to create a difference for them.
And why do I bring that up Because one of

(09:04):
the things that I've been lamenting for a long time.
Ladies and gentlemen, I've never met Jasmine Crockett. I'm looking
forward to talking to her and having her on this show.
I've never met AOC. I'm not opposed to having her
on the show. Now. I don't want to interview Senator
Elizabeth Warren because I don't want to feel like the
second I disagree with her, I'm going to hell. That's
my only problem with the Senator Elizabeth Warren. If you

(09:24):
disagree with her, she makes you feel like you're going
to hell, like you have no heart, no soul, no conscience.
I'm not dealing with somebody like that. But if you're
passionate about what you feel and where you stand, and
you got facts to back it up, even with your
emotions coupled with that, I'm all for listening to what
you have to say. Here's my problems with the Democrats.
Here's my problems with what D. L. Hewley came across.

(09:46):
Like I've heard politicians on Capitol Hill saying, I'm here
just to disagree and oppose every damn thing Trump wants
to do. Well, why are you up on Capitol Hill?
Ain't you supposed to be figuring out what you want
to be against and what you could potentially be for.

(10:07):
Isn't he known as a deal maker? Hasn't he been,
whether it's revered or insulted, as a non politician? Hasn't
he been somebody that gives you the impression if you're
complimentary towards him about some things that he does, and
you're willing to sit down and talk with him. He
will sit up there and appease you, just the way
he would ask you to appease him. If you're not

(10:30):
willing to talk and work across the island Capitol Hill,
what the hell are you up there for? So that
is what came to my mind. You have to work
with people. People you dislike, people you disagree with, people
who you know in your core at your core, do
not have you, nor your communities, nor your constituency's best

(10:52):
interest at heart. You still have to work with them.
If Cuomo wins the mayoral seat in New York City,
Andrew Comol, you think he's not gonna try to work
with the Trump White House. Joshapiro is the governor of Pennsylvania.
Wes Moore is the governor of Maryland. You think they're
not going to try to work with Trump and his

(11:12):
White House to get things done, even though they're gonna
speak against them on certain issues. You can't have this
closed door, closed minded, resolute belief that allows you the
excuse to remain stagnant, therefore ineffective in doing your job.
That's my issue with politicians, and I think it's important.

(11:38):
If you're a DL hugly with a voice that resonates
to many, many people. Then, no matter how you feel,
you keep an open mind about the possibility of communicating,
just so you can make a difference, because you never
know where that difference may come from. That's all I
wanted to say about that