Stephen A. Smith quickly tracked back after mistakenly addressing legendary college basketball coach Nolan Richardson as if he had passed away.
During a segment with Seth Greenberg on ESPN’s First Take on Friday, Smith discussed Arkansas disappointingly blowing a double-digit lead to Texas Tech during March Madness the night before.
While discussing John Calipari’s recruiting prowess, Smith accidentally pronounced Richardson dead in his statement.
‘He’s gonna be able to recruit better than anybody ever has there outside of Mr. 40 Minutes of Hell himself, the late great Nolan Richardson. God rest his soul,’ Smith said somberly.
Later in the program, Smith corrected himself to the audience and his colleagues.
‘By the way, before we even begin the show, I just wanna make sure,’ Smith said. ‘I am fully aware that Nolan Richardson is alive. Trust me, I apologize for that – I don’t know why I said ‘God rest his soul.”
Stephen A. Smith mistakenly pronounced legendary Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson dead
Your browser does not support iframes.
‘He’s alive, I’ve always known that. So I just wanted to make sure I made that clear before we move on to the show. I don’t want anybody thinking I thought the man is gone, I did not. I know he’s alive.
After host Molly Qerim clarified not hearing the mistake, Smith added he ‘didn’t realize’ he had said it.
Richardson coached the Razorbacks from 1985-2002 and won the NCAA tournament in 1994. After his time in Arkansas, he coached the Tulsa Shock in the WNBA and the Panama and Mexico national teams.
The team has yet to win another title since their lone championship finish under Richardson.
After climbing a 16-point deficit to beat Calipari’s team, Texas Tech will take on first-seeded Florida in the Elite 8.
