Stephen A. Smith issues apology for Wednesday’s Lane Johnson comments on ‘First Take’

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was once again in the news on Wednesday, and it wasn’t in a good way.

He made some insensitive comments about longtime Philadelphia Eagles star offensive lineman Lane Johnson during Wednesday’s edition of “First Take.” Johnson retired from the NFL this week after playing in the first three games of the season. He wants to focus on his family and his mental health.

MORE:Stephen A. Smith shows brutal insensitivity by making light of Lane Johnson’s mental health

Smith downplayed it on Wednesday before apologizing during Thursday’s edition of “First Take.” It comes after he got rightfully roasted online.

Stephen A. Smith apologizes

Jun 5, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Stephen A. Smith looks on before the game between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks in game two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

“Here’s the reality of the situation. I was wrong,” Smith said, via Awful Announcing. “And when you’re an adult, and you’re a man, you have to admit that you were wrong. I was wrong to Lane Johnson. I was wrong to the Philadelphia Eagles. I messed up because I made light of the issue of mental health when that was clearly not my intent. I should say clearly: it was not my intent, but it wasn’t made clear enough.”

Smith later added, “There’s a lot of people in this country and in this world who are going through mental health issues. And the biggest regret that I have for all of this is the fact that it may have given people who wanted to open the door to seek help a reason to pause and hesitate and not do so. And I can’t emphasize enough how sorry I am about that because it is a real issue.”

Johnson played 14 seasons in the NFL and helped the Eagles win two Super Bowls. The Eagles were 122-63-1 with him in the lineup.

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Source: sports.yahoo.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.