Stephen A. Smith Clarifies That His “Embarrassing” Live Take On Patriots DC Terrell Williams Was Not a Mistake

Stephen A. Smith recently went viral for making an embarrassing comment that caught almost everyone’s attention. The longtime ESPN personality said that defensive coordinator Terrell Williams has been leading the New England Patriots’ defense this season and deserves more credit. The issue is that Williams has been away for much of the season while battling prostate cancer.

Back in September of 2025, the Patriots’ defense coordinator, who joined the staff alongside Mike Vrabel, was diagnosed with cancer. As a result, he has not been with the team for a large portion of the season while undergoing treatment. It is a scary situation, and we are praying for his health.

Despite this absence, Smith still credited Williams for the work done by the Patriots’ defense this season.

“Terrell Williams, we ain’t mentioned him all year long. Reunited with Mike Vrabel, used to be with him in Tennessee. Man has done a hell of a job with a defense that’s ranked Top 5,” Smith professed on First Take. 

This slip-up naturally caught the attention of many, and they quickly corrected Smith on social media. However, it was such a bad mistake that the corrections soon turned into roasts. Some simply couldn’t believe that the ESPN host failed to mention that Williams has been dealing with cancer all year.

Here’s what Patriots superfan Dave Portnoy had to say:

“Ain’t no way this is real,” he posted on X.

Others joined in on the reaction party as well. “Terrell Williams hasn’t coached this season due to prostate cancer. Zak Kuhr has been the interim DC… First Take is so stupid,” one pointed out.

Even Grok AI chimed in: “The defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots is Terrell Williams. However, he’s been away for much of the 2025 season due to prostate cancer treatment, with inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr handling play-calling duties in his absence.”

It should be noted that Smith is such a contentious sports analyst that many will snatch at any opportunity to “dunk” on him. This perceived blind spot opened the door for many to do just that, but he is used to being in this position.

In fact, Smith later clarified on his own account that he stands by what he said.

“Nice try! First of all, we reported earlier in the year that he was out due to Prostate Cancer when it happened. Secondly, he still talks to coaches for game-planning purposes. Thirdly, forgetting to mention all of that is different than not knowing — plus it really doesn’t matter when I’ve got experts like Ryan Clark and Cam backing me up,” Smith tweeted.

The response from the polarizing analyst riled up fans in the comment section even more. They pushed back, arguing that Ryan Clark and Cam Newton shouldn’t be considered “experts,” while also laughing at Smith for doubling down on his original statement. The post received 1.2 thousand responses.

At the end of the day, it’s little things like this that fans point to when they talk about ESPN’s credibility. It seems the network now has oversights that tend to go viral for the wrong reasons. For many, it’s not the sports network they grew up watching and came to love.

At the same time, though, it’s not really that serious. Smith was just trying to give credit to a person who has gone unmentioned all season. Even if Williams has been away from the team for a large portion of the season, reports line up with what Smith said, noting that he has remained involved in weekly game planning while undergoing treatment.