Steve Smith Sr. packs a big punch.
Despite his modest stature, Smith put together a remarkable career as a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. A lot of his damage was done at the expense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the vast majority of his career was spent torching NFC South defenses for the Carolina Panthers.
Smith isn’t just known for his explosive performances on the field, though. His competitive, brash and outspoken nature has made him one of the biggest personalities the league has ever seen. When he retired, it wasn’t a surprise to see Smith immediately transition into a media role, where his bold opinions have been expressed with the same vigor and intensity he once displayed on the football field.
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Despite having many strengths, both as a player and media personality, Smith has one defining flaw that Bucs fans know all too well… He can’t hide his bias.
Smith has always shown a propensity for holding grudges, and although media professionals generally try to remain objective, Smith struggles with this aspect of the job.
Smith recently appeared made a guest appearance on Barstool Sports’ popular show, Pardon My Take, where after being prompted to discuss Buccaneers’ quarterback, Baker Mayfield, the former Carolina Panther had an extremely harsh reaction.
After PFT Commenter said, “I want to give you a chance to say something nice about Baker Mayfield”, Smith stared into the camera with a blank look on his face. The host of the show responded with “Oh we lost him. Is he frozen?” To which Smith responded, “No. I’m not frozen.”
When asked, “Has he been better than you thought he would be?” Smith responded, “Bro I don’t care. He doesn’t care about me. I don’t care about him.”
Although Smith didn’t necessarily say anything too outlandish, his facial expressions and reactions certainly painted a clear picture, which is that Steve Smith does not like Baker Mayfield.
This shade from Smith is a bit of a perfect storm, because not only does Steve Smith Sr. have a history of publicly disrespecting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he actually has a history of discrediting Baker Mayfield as well.
As one of the most competitive players in the league, it will be interesting to see whether or not Baker Mayfield ends up responding to this salty interaction in any way, because chances are he will be asked about it at some point.
