Stephen A. Smith Blasts Cowboys After Tribute To Slain DPD Officers
By: Josh Clark | Opinion
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DALLAS (105.3 The Fan/AP) - Stephen A. Smith, a known Dallas Cowboys hater, took to ESPN's First Take to deliver a harsh message to the team during a still very difficult time for the city.
"This moment here is overwhelming," Brown said in a brief news conference after the ceremony before the team's first full practice Saturday.
"Our profession — and I've repeated this — hasn't seen a lot of support from communities because of some of the problems we see in communities with police relationships. So support like this really is priceless."
While Stephen A. Smith acknowledged the nice gesture by the team, he questioned the organization's differing actions off the field.
"If you are America's team, if you are the team with the star on your helmet, playing in that billion dollar playpen, I don't blame you one bit for doing what you did yesterday in terms of locking arms, taking the picture, obviously what happened was in Dallas, so we understand the correlation there. But it just got me to thinking, that clearly, why you don't wish this on anybody, and you know the Dallas Cowboys as an organization, as individual players, as a fan base, nobody wishes this to happen. Not if you got any kinda of decency," said Smith. "It just took me back a second and said you know what, If you have so much respect for the law, why don't you try obeying it as an organization. Why don't you try milking headlines for what you do on the football field instead of transgressions that continuously happen off the field."
What Smith says is true when he lists off numerous incidents Cowboys players have been involved in over the years. Dallas is certainly facing on and off the field challenges this season due to suspensions involving Rolando McClain, Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, all for substance abuse. However, it's a curious time to throw criticism their direction with such a sensitive subject.
The Cowboys also unveiled a helmet decal they will wear in the preseason and possibly the regular season. It says "arm in arm" in a circle around a star meant to symbolize a mix of the Cowboys' famous logo and the star Dallas police wear on their uniforms.
After taking the field in four waves, players and coaches formed a circle for a moment of silence with the Dallas contingent. Brown addressed the team and shouted "Dallas strong" as he wrapped up his remarks.
"I would like to say thank you to the Dallas Cowboys for lifting a city up today," Rawlings told reporters after the brief ceremony. "Those families, those young kids — to be arm-in-arm with a quarterback, a coach or a big lineman — they'll remember that for the rest of their lives."
Hopefully Smith can eventually see the true significance this event had on Chief Brown and the families of the victims, rather than continue to paint the Cowboys in a bad light for something they clearly got right.
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