Stephen A. Smith has hinted that his friend Dana White should resign from the UFC after footage of him hitting his wife surfaced on social media last week.
The outspoken ESPN analyst weighed in on the matter during Wednesday’s broadcast of First Take, arguing that the UFC president would have immediately fired him from the promotion if it had been one of his fighters.
It comes less than a week after White found himself at the center of controversy when video surfaced of him beating his wife Anne White while ringing in the new year at a Cabo nightclub. Widespread footage shows Anne slapping White in the face, to which he responds by slapping her on the back with considerable force.
The clip has already been viewed by millions on social media and spurred White, 53, to issue a public apology, with his wife telling reporters her husband’s actions were “uncharacteristic”.
The wider public, however, was less lenient – many, including Smith, cited the litany of fighters who were expelled from White’s UFC over various domestic violence cases.
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The outspoken ESPN analyst weighed in on the matter during Wednesday’s broadcast of First Take, arguing that the UFC president would have immediately fired him from the promotion if it had been one of his fighters
It comes less than a week after White found himself at the center of the controversy when video surfaced of him beating his wife, Anne White, at a Cabo nightclub. Footage shows Anne slapping White in the face, to which he responds by slapping her on the back with considerable force
The 55-year-old Bronx native laid in White on Wednesday when asked by host Molly Qerim what she thought White’s punishment should be.
“My immediate response to that is that whatever discipline he should be subjected to, the kind of discipline he would inflict on someone he is supervising, he would submit to it,” Smith said in a somewhat somber tone to his colleague. “That would suit who he is.”
Smith went on to point out his friendship with White, the commentator known for his often controversial opinions, extends beyond sport and that the two are very close personally.
“He is a friend; I love the guy,” Smith added. “It’s a very difficult subject for me. We talk all the time. We’ve certainly bonded briefly since this happened. He knew there was no way I was going to talk about it.”
Smith then offered his condolences to White’s family — specifically Dana and Anne’s three children, Dana, Savannah and Aidan — who he said were left in an “embarrassing” situation by the high-profile incident, leading the couple to do so encouraged to issue statements .
“My heart goes out to his family because this is a very, very embarrassing situation,” Smith continued, before addressing White’s recent video apology to TMZ, in which the MMA boss said he was “embarrassed” about the footage , for which he admitted he has ‘no excuse’.
The 55-year-old Bronx native laid in White on Wednesday when asked by host Molly Qerim what she thought White’s punishment should be
“He says it’s never happened,” Smith said of White, who he’s had on his show in the past and whom he considers a “friend.”
“He’s utterly ashamed and absolutely disgusted with himself,” Smith continued, “to find himself in this situation — that he would ever have done something like that to a woman he’s been married to for 30 years.”
Citing White’s apology, Smith added, “He makes no excuses for it and I think it’s important to point that out.”
Smith referenced White’s wife’s own statement to TMZ Sports, in which she insisted her husband’s actions were “out of character,” before reiterating that White “ended up [is] don’t make excuses.’
During his diatribe, Smith referenced White’s recent video apology to TMZ, in which the MMA boss said he was “embarrassed” by the footage, which he said he had “no apologies for.”
He then alluded to other high-profile domestic violence situations involving other fighters – such as recently released lightweight Luis Pena and light heavyweight Thiago Silva – explaining that the way the UFC is handling this situation follows the example of the Promotion measures should follow for athletes who have been found guilty of domestic abuse.
“It’s certainly not up to me or anyone out there to find an excuse, because especially in the time we’re living in and with all the things we’ve learned and the ways we’ve had to address an inordinate amount of time we have to be consistent on such issues,” Smith said.
‘One does not lay hands on a woman when one is a man.’
Smith went on to allude to how he thought White should be punished in a manner similar to fighters in his stable.
“All I can say is that he has once again spoken out against men who have given women a hand before, and what punishment you would inflict on anyone else in the circumstances is what he should inflict on himself.”
He added: “But I love him.”
White has been married to his partner Anne for 26 years and they have three children
It’s not yet clear what the intense scrutiny currently aimed at White will reveal in the coming days – although White said back in 2014 there was no going back for UFC fighters who have been violent towards women.
Since then, the UFC president — who bought the promotion for $2 million in 2001 and has since helped build it into the $10 billion empire it is today — has imposed somewhat inconsistent penalties on fighters who punched their fists used outside of the cage.
The UFC boss told TMZ of the incident: “My wife and I were out on New Year’s Eve on Saturday night. Unfortunately that happened.
“I’m one of those guys who says there’s never an excuse for a man to put his hands on a woman, and now I’m talking about it here on TMZ.
“It’s one of those horrible situations. I’m embarrassed. We have three children and since the video surfaced we have shown it to the children and are now more focused on our family.
“People will have their opinion on this and people’s opinion would be right, especially in my case. You never attack a woman.”
His wife Anne is quoted by TMZ as saying: “To say this is out of character for him is an understatement – nothing like this has happened before.
“Unfortunately we both drank too much on New Year’s Eve and things got out of hand on both sides. We discussed this as a family and we apologized to each other.
Back in 2014, White reiterated the promotion’s strict stance on fighters raising their hands against their respective partners.
White, who has led the UFC since 2001, previously said there is no turning back for fighters who are violent towards women
“There’s one thing you never shy away from, and that’s laying your hands on a woman,” he said. “That’s how I’ve been in the UFC since we started here. You don’t flinch when you lay hands on a woman.”
Where white goes from here will be the focus of intense investigation in the coming days.
The next UFC card is scheduled for January 14 in Las Vegas, where he is usually expected to attend in person.
“My legacy and all these other things about work mean nothing to me,” White added. “It’s all about your family. It’s about your wife and children.”