Stephen A. Smith Slams Jeff Garcia’s Criticism of ESPN’s Mina Kimes as ‘Disrespectful and Sexist’
Stephen A. Smith came to the defense of Mina Kimes Friday morning after former NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia bashed her criticism of Jimmy Garoppolo.
Earlier this week, Kimes joined many football fans and analysts in believing the 49ers advanced to the NFC Championship game in spite of Garoppolo, not because of him.
“Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t the reason they’re winning,” Kimes said on First Take. “They’re winning with him, but not because of him.”
The criticism and seemingly obvious analysis drew the ire of former 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia, who bashed the ESPN NFL analyst on Instagram. “Who the hell is Mina Kimes and when is the last time she threw a touchdown pass in a game? NEVER! EVER! has she taken a snap or can truly understand the ability, the mindset, the physical and mental toughness, that it takes to play the QB position or any position in the NFL,” Garcia wrote.
Many of Kimes’ ESPN colleagues rushed to her defense, with Smith joining in to condemn Garcia’s criticism Friday morning.
“Jeff Garcia – what he said about Mina Kimes was just ridiculous, and quite frankly, sexist,” Smith ranted. “I’ve never played football. There’s plenty of men that are on television that are talking about sports that have never played football…but you’re going to point the finger at her — who I believe does a sensational job, and I’m very proud to have her as a part of First Take.”
“We have women doing outstanding jobs in this business,” Smith continued. “And they deserve their credit and they deserve their respect. But as it pertains to Garcia, let me be clear. Who the hell are you?”
To be fair, Garcia did not mention gender once in his gripe with Kimes. But it is curious that he targeted her, when many male sports pundits, including Smith, similarly display a willingness to criticize Garoppolo despite never throwing a pass in the NFL.
“She wasn’t off-kilter,” Smith added of Kimes. “And the fact that you would choose to call her out like that is just incredibly disrespectful and sexist.”
Adding to the absurdity of Garcia’s comments, is the fact that even Garoppolo’s coach, Kyle Shanahan has never thrown a touchdown pass in the NFL. And in the era of analytics usurping the world of sports, many people hold prominent positions within professional organizations even though their resume doesn’t include time as a player.
Watch above via ESPN
