ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith has gotten more and more involved in politics in recent years and is not afraid to speak his mind when it comes to national issues.
That trend continued Thursday morning as he discussed NBA star Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups being arrested as a part of a major FBI gambling investigation.
Speaking on “First Take,” Smith said that he believes President Donald Trump is behind the arrests and that a trend is forming that is “very concerning.”
“I’m watching a press conference with the director of the FBI. Tell me when we’ve seen that,” Smith said. “We’ve seen accusations before, we’ve seen athletes get in trouble with the law before. You don’t see the director of the FBI having a press conference.
“It’s not coincidental. It’s not an accident. It’s a statement, and it’s a warning that more is coming. And that’s what they’re saying here.”
Billups and Rozier were both arrested early Thursday morning.
Billiups was charged in an illegal poker operation with ties to the Mafia, while Rozier’s arrest came after ESPN reported over the summer that a professional sports bettor placed 30 wagers on Rozier in 46 minutes ahead of a game in 2023.
All 30 bets won as Rozier, then a member of the Charlotte Hornets, left the game against the Pelicans after 10 minutes, citing a foot injury.
FBI Director Kash Patel held a news conference Thursday morning to discuss the arrests.
Authorities said 34 people were charged in schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games.
“Big night for the NBA, [Victor] Wembanyama put on a show. That has now been smeared, because we’re talking about this story,” Smith said. “Remember, Trump has a long, long history connected to the world of sports.”
Smith added that he believes Trump is targeting leagues with players who may speak out against him or disagree with him politically.
“Don’t be surprised if the WNBA is next on his list. Because when you’ve got all of these protestors that have been going out there and people have been protesting against him and what have you, this man is coming. He’s coming. And I’ve been saying it for a long time,” Smith said.
“And to me, this is the latest nugget of evidence that we’re talking about right here. That’s not to question the legitimacy of the case. We don’t know. We’re all sitting up here and we’re saying that we don’t know.
“But anybody that has been around him, anybody that has talked to him, anybody that has seen his reactions from the sports leagues and the positions that people have taken, they are not surprised at what’s going on today.”
Finally, Smith said that he has heard from people in the NBA, the NFL and throughout the world of sports who believe that Trump is just getting started and that others will be targeted.
Smith believes Trump’s motivation is that he is upset that he was arrested in 2023 on charges related to the 2020 election.
“They think this is like the tip of the iceberg. These are the kinds of words that are coming out of people’s mouths,” Smith said.
“It’s not a surprise. It’s very disheartening. It’s very concerning. We don’t know where this is going to go, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Everybody better brace themselves, because he’s coming.”
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