Did Stephen A. Smith drop the N-bomb on ESPN First Take? (Video)

You can listen to the video and make the judgement for yourself, but it sounds like Stephen A. Smith dropped the N word, when talking about Lakers guard Kobe Bryant missing the home opener.  It wasn’t completely audible, so it is tough to say whether or not he said it, but here is his statement on the matter.

ESPN has accepted this explanation from Stephen A. Smith because he has not been disciplined in any way.  But, then it was pointed out by The Big Lead that when they re-aired the episode they had scrubbed out what he said before “please.”

If he didn’t say what everyone thinks he said, then why would ESPN remove it from the episode?  It also should be noted this isn’t the first time that Smith has said something like this though.

I’m not sure how he keeps getting away with throwing around the N word on National Television, but he does.  He needs to be far more careful in the future.

H/T: Larry Brown Sports