Chris Russo Opens Up About Stephen A. Smith

Chris Russo credits Stephen A. Smith for reigniting his career, but questions remain about Smith’s future at ESPN.

The outspoken sports radio host has openly praised his First Take colleague for helping him achieve a career renaissance. However, with Smith’s contract nearing its end, speculation about his next move has been rife (to say the least). Despite Smith’s reputation as a fiercely independent figure, taking aim at those who label him a “company man,” Russo believes there’s a strong chance he’ll remain with the network.

He said as much as he weighed in on Smith’s contract situation during a recent appearance on the SI Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina.

“I try not to get too involved,” Russo said. “I ask for the occasional recap. And when I see stories on Stevie, Hollywood Reporter just did a big one, Wall Street Journal did one, I ask, ‘Is this accurate?’ and sometimes he tells me, sometimes he doesn’t. Overall, I would be shocked.”

Traina mentioned to Russo that the only way Smith would leave the Worldwide Leader is if ESPN wasn’t willing to pay him the rumored valuation upwards of $20 million.

“I think the one thing that he may not want to be pigeonholed into being sports,” Russo continued. “He wants to go out there and do a lot of different things; that’s why the podcast comes in handy, and he may not want to go in there every day for five days, breaking down and doing lists for quarterbacks and all that. But I would be absolutely floored.

“Everything for him, to me, stems from ESPN. He’s on there every day for two hours, he gets great ratings, it’s his show, he’s the boss. He’s a great entertainer. He knows how to deliver the goods. He knows how to produce an opinion. And I think that everything he does is sort of fueled by that, General Hospital, podcast, everything else. And I think leaving that would be tricky.

“I think on the other side, if you’re ESPN, you’ve built your whole platform on daytime television, plus the NBA. You love the NBA. Who’s the best NBA guy out there? You got the football, you got Stephen A.; that show is a huge show. You got all the people that go through that show whether it’s Marcus Spears or Ryan Clark or Domonique Foxworth, and it’s all because of that show. And if he’s not there, it’s not gonna be the same. So they need him, too. What are they gonna quibble over a couple of million dollars a year?

“I haven’t spoken to him in three weeks, maybe. I would be shocked, shocked if this doesn’t — now, they may take it to the last day — but I would be shocked. Wouldn’t you be shocked if they don’t reach an agreement?”

Russo teased Smith Wednesday about his vacation time as he reappeared on First Take for the first time in a few weeks. But prior to that, with the SI Media Podcast being released Wednesday a.m., Russo argued that Smith wouldn’t have the same notoriety if he left ESPN.

“They’re still the biggest one,” Russo said of his network. “More people will watch that than will put it on Peacock to watch it on that, or Netflix or something like that…Stevie is too smart. I think he does understand. I haven’t asked him, but he understands, I’m assuming, the power of ESPN. They have the NBA. They got the Finals. They’re the No. 1 partner for the NBA…and that’s his favorite sport. He loves the personalities in the NBA.

“He leaves ESPN, he loses all of that. He’s too bright not to understand that. I would think he’d stay.”

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