ESPN’s Jeff Passan Eviscerates Stephen A. Smith’s Ignorance to His Face: Shohei Ohtani ‘Pursued the American Dream’

It’s easy to call Stephen A. Smith out for his brutal Shohei Ohtani take on social media. But doing it right to his face, on his own show, is next level. And that’s exactly what ESPN’s MLB Insider Jeff Passan did Tuesday morning on First Take.

“Shohei Ohtani came to this country at 23-years-old…he left behind everything he knows to go and pursue the American Dream,” Passan said. “And he is the sort of person who this show and who this network and who this country should embrace. We are not the ones who should be trafficking in ignorance.”

On Monday, Smith was critical of Ohtani for not speaking English during public interviews. “I don’t think it helps that the number one face, is a dude that needs an interpreter so you can understand what the hell he’s saying, in THIS COUNTRY,” Smith said of the Japanese-born MLB superstar.

After seeming reluctant to apologize at first, Smith conceded and opened Tuesday’s First Take by addressing the situation before Passan joined the show.

“The reality about Shohei Ohtani, Stephen A., is that he is a story that we should be wanting to tell,” Passan continued. “It’s unfortunate that something like yesterday happened, but this gives us the opportunity to come out here today and talk about what Shohei Ohtani is doing.”

Ohtani is changing baseball, doing something most fans and analysts thought was impossible by dominating the game as a two-way star. He competed in the Home Run Derby on Monday, and was listed as the American League’s starting pitcher and leadoff hitter on Tuesday.

“It’s not that Shohei Ohtani doesn’t speak English publicly and that people don’t embrace him. It’s that if people don’t embrace him publicly because he doesn’t speak English, they’re the problem,” Passan added as a direct counter to Smith’s claim from Monday.

Watch above via, ESPN