Stephen A. Smith took a swipe at Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson for making the surprise announcement this week that he is retiring from pro football in part to focus on his mental health.
\n\nAppearing on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday, a wound-up Smith blasted Johnson for retiring four games into the 2026 season and mocked Johnson for saying he wants to focus on his mental health.
\n\nSmith ripped Johnson for retiring now instead of before the season started. He also mocked the player’s reasons for retiring and chortled, “Life is a little bit too short; I need to focus.’ What did he say? His ‘mental health ‘? Am I makin’ it up?”
\n\nBut many are blasting Smith for seeming to discount Johnson’s need to focus on his mental health. Social media erupted with condemnation for the bombastic ESPN analyst.
\n\nOne X user ripped Smith and accused him of merely pandering for “clicks.”
\n\n“He got what we wanted. He yells at the camera for clicks and likes on social media. I still don’t know who watches this BS that is on during the workday and who the audience is,” the X user exclaimed.
\n\nA second user blasted Smith…
Original source: https://www.breitbart.com/sports/
