Stephen A. Smith went on a rant against BET over their tribute to O.J Simpson during last Sunday’s awards ceremony.
“Did y’all see the in memoriam segment paying tribute to quote, ‘Black excellence,’ that we unfortunately lost this year?” he said on his eponymous Youtube show.
Smith says the audience seemed uncomfortable with the memoriam.
“There was a notable silence from the crowd when the image of O.J. Simpson appeared on the big screen,” he said. “You may recall O.J. Simpson died this past April after a battle with cancer. Yes, he is known for being a Hall of Famer on the football field out of USC, and ultimately with the Buffalo Bills in his NFL career, but he was also accused of double murder!”
Simpson, whose immense fame on the football field was eclipsed by his infamy off it, passed away in April. He was 76.
Simpson had been battling cancer and had been in hospice.
“In the eyes of most people, regardless of an acquittal, O.J. Simpson is a double-murderer,” Smith said. “He was ostracized and considered a pariah by the vast majority of American citizens. … I love Mase and I love Cam’ron, and I know what respect they have for O.J., I’m not casting any aspersions on anybody like that. They have their relationship with them and that’s their business, more power to them. My attitude is this: O.J. Simpson never gave a shit about Black people until he was indicted. Never gave a damn.”
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