Stephen A Smith blasts SEC for threats to kick LSU out of the conference: 'Sit your a-- down'

The 2026 college football season is off to a surprisingly controversial start. Out of nowhere, the Western Michigan-Michigan game became one of the most contentious finishes in recent memory, with replay review adding an additional second to the fourth quarter after the game had seemingly ended.

That sparked a formal appeal from the MAC to the FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff to recognize the Broncos as the official winners, due to improper replay review procedures.

Then there’s the human element: new LSU head coach Lane Kiffin. Kiffin drew criticism for his lengthy, drawn-out decision-making process after LSU offered him the job in Baton Rouge. His eventual decision to leave Ole Miss before the College Football Playoff made him public enemy No. 1 in Oxford. Somehow, the questions surrounding Kiffin have only deepened over time.

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Kiffin set about reshaping the Tigers' program through the transfer portal, then apparently had an even more unique and extreme idea: bring players who had signed with NFL teams but failed to make the regular season roster back to college football. Obviously designed to give LSU an advantage by adding more physically advanced and developed players, that tactic was immediately disparaged by opposing coaches, NFL coaches and, more importantly, the SEC itself.

A war of words and policies ensued with multiple conferences, including the SEC, immediately passing a policy to prevent "pro" players returning to the collegiate ranks. LSU fought back, even winning an injunction to allow two players, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, to confirm their eligibility.

That led to some extreme measures being discussed, including reports this week that the SEC was prepared to vote imminently to expel LSU from the conference entirely. As shocking and extreme as that sounds, it's clear that the SEC wanted to ensure that their commitment to "amateur" athletics remained unblemished.

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Some supported the potential vote as a punishment for Kiffin and the Tigers program pushing the limits of eligibility. And further SEC filings implied that the athletic director had little control of the football team, with Kiffin alone running the ship.

But Stephen A. Smith, apparently, strongly disagrees, saying that just signing a contract in the NFL does not make you an "NFL player."

"Just because you enter a draft — if you haven’t signed a contract with the NFL team, you are not an NFL player," he said during a recent episode of "First Take" on ESPN. "If you haven’t been on a practice field, if you haven’t competed against NFL players, you are not an NFL player. You should be able to go back to college. That’s the one thing that I do feel."

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Smith wasn't done there, saying that LSU being pushed into independence may actually help the program.

"And oh, by the way, Notre Dame, and we got love for Notre Dame, they’re an independent," he added. "LSU, you wanna throw them out the SEC? Go ahead and do it. Watch, they ain’t gonna lose. They’ll be just fine…Could you imagine Lane Kiffin as an independent? Out there in the open market for the LSU brand? Please, they’ll get paid…The SEC, sit your a-- down! Sit your a-- down!"

The Tigers seemingly backed down from their plan this week, signaling by adding two other players to their roster that they wouldn't bring in those former "NFL" players. But Smith seems to have a different perspective on this than most fans or rival administrators and coaches. Once you leave college and sign with an NFL team, that's it. You're done. That's how it's always been, and changing it now opens up a can of worms.

Would a player who’s, say, only made the practice squad be considered an "NFL player" in Smith’s view? Or would they still be eligible to return? What about another who is on an active roster, but never enters a game? Or someone who plays just one game before getting hurt? Defining who and who isn't a professional becomes a game of Whac-A-Mole that shouldn't be necessary.

Stephen A., though, clearly doesn't see it that way. He's wrong.