Cris Carter, a veteran of both the NFL and sports media, has voiced his discontent with the current state of sports talk shows.
Despite a distinguished career that includes stints as a player, broadcaster, and coach, Carter has recently shared his frustrations about the industry on the show “Fully Loaded.”
Carter, who played college football at Ohio State before a 16-year Hall of Fame NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, and Miami Dolphins, has transitioned to a role as the executive director of player engagement for Florida Atlantic University’s football team.
His comments on “Fully Loaded” reveal a critical perspective on sports talk shows.
“I’m going to say this, that it’s a form of wrestling,” Carter said. “You know who’s going to win and a lot of the arguments and everything are predetermined or assigned.
“You’re going to win this one and everything is slanted in Skip [Bayless] and Stephen A’s [Smith] favor. They pick the subjects, and they pick what side they’re going to take.”
Carter’s critiques come from his own experiences with FOX Sports and ESPN, where he was let go from both networks.
His remarks suggest a possible lingering resentment. Nevertheless, his observations offer a rare insider’s view of the media landscape.
Despite his critical stance on the format of these shows, Carter had high praise for Stephen A. Smith who he called “the real deal.”
“Now I’m going to say something about Stephen A, Stephen A is an authentic dude,” Carter said. “He is a journalist, he’s a broadcaster, he’s also an entertainer, and he’s fair.
“Stephen A has a treasure trove of information about people that he would never let go out on the air, it would make him more popular, but he would never do it.
“He’s got stories, he’s got contacts, he’s got relationships, he’s got sources that would carry you a lifetime in the business, he is legit, he is the real deal.”
Notably, Carter doesn’t have the same high opinion with it comes to Skip Bayless.
“I would come on [the show] because Stephen A. and I were friends. I didn’t know Skip personally, and I’m gonna be honest with you: Skip Bayless is not one of my favorite people,” Carter said.
He went on to describe a back-and-forth he had with Bayless over the skill level of Tim Tebow.
“We’re trading barbs and everything. We go back and forth, back and forth, back and forth,” he recalled. “And then I just level said it and was like, ‘Listen, if throwing the football is important in the NFL, Tim Tebow will never be a starting quarterback in the NFL.’
The shot at Tebow evidently struck a nerve with Bayless who fired back, saying, “Well, that’s why you didn’t win a Super Bowl.”
This exchange caused Carter to verbally attack Bayless during the commercial break.
“I told him, ‘I’ll never be on your show again, and if you ever say anything like that to me again, I’ll punch you right in the f*cking face,’” Carter told Bayless.
What are your thoughts on Carter’s comments???