Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton recently addressed perceived racial discrepancies in former players broadcasting, questioning why opportunities to sign lucrative contracts in the profession were not being granted to athletes of color as well. Within his discourse, Newton mentioned that he would always tell Tom Brady, Tony Romo, Greg Olsen, Troy Aikman and Matt Ryan to get their money but wanted to know the rationale for why they were the only ones getting access to the types of contracts. Newton continued by saying that someone informed him that people do not get those contracts if they are not polished yet, leading him to question the media training Romo had before making his debut.
Stephen A. Smith recently addressed this assertion from Newton on his program, The Stephen A. Smith Show, contextualizing the statement by discussing some of the contracts that these individuals signed. For example, he mentioned how Brady’s deal with FOX Sports is for a reported 10 years and $375 million, while former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce recently signed a deal with ESPN to join the Monday Night Countdown cast.
Smith implored Newton to take Brady out of the conversation, articulating that he had won more Super Bowl championships during his NFL career than every other franchise and has the credentials to discuss the game. Moreover, he communicated that Aikman should be removed from the discussion as well because he won three Super Bowl championships with the Dallas Cowboys, regarded as the team with the highest valuation in the league. As it pertains to Romo, the fact that he played for the Cowboys provides cache and eminence, but he averred that he had a point in terms of how he made it to the broadcast booth.
“You have to look the part to some degree, be the part – you have to be somebody,” Smith said. “It ain’t just about being polished, it’s about a willingness to be. It’s not about telling the world you want to do what you want to do, when you want to do it, how you want to do it, but I want your money. You got to show a willingness to capitulate to those who are paying the money and what they want, to some degree – not totally.”
Smith qualified his statement by explaining that people should not sell their souls or abandon who they are, but rather have an understanding that they need to acquiesce to earn remuneration for their work. As Smith has worked in sports media throughout his career, the landscape has changed, and he has spoken about trying to find ways to make his bosses more money and trying to earn a sum of that thereafter.
“See what we’ve got to stop doing is lying to people, especially youngsters on the come up,” Smith said. “‘You could do what you want to do, when you want to do it, how you want to do it, without giving a damn about what anybody else wants or what anybody else feels, but I still want your money.’ No! Go ahead and pay yourself. If you want somebody else’s money, you got to give them a little bit of what they want too, so how you present yourself matters.”
As he continued his answer to Newton’s claim, Smith emphasized that he was not debating the morality of the situation, but rather what occurs in reality. In the end, he feels that it comes down to one’s ability to communicate a message that everyone can comprehend while also having the credentials to back it up. ESPN will continue its coverage of the National Football League next season with Monday Night Football, which has featured play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, analyst Troy Aikman and reporter Lisa Salters for the last two seasons.
“Damn right there should be brothers in the booth – Monday Night Football and stuff like that,” Smith said. “Louis Riddick was in that Monday night booth a couple of years ago, and he’s fabulous. He was in there. You didn’t bring him up. Let’s think about it, Cam.”
