ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith has seen plenty of highs and lows as a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But one particular play haunted him so much that he couldn’t function properly for hours.
Smith re-united with former ‘First Take’ co-host Skip Bayless on his podcast and spoke about a certain iconic NFL moment that shocked him to his core.
The ‘First Take’ host even said that the result was so disturbing to him that he couldn’t even be intimate with the woman that he was dating at the time.
That play came in the AFC Wild Card game for the 2011 season between Smith’s Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Broncos.
With the game tied at 23-23 in the final quarter, the contest had to go to overtime. Denver won the toss and elected to receive the ball first.
On the very first play of the extra period, Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow hit wide receiver Demaryius Thomas on a slant route. The receiver found open space and ran it 80 yards to the end zone to end the game in a matter of seconds.
Stephen A. Smith (R) recalled an NFL play that made him unable to have sex due to his sadness
That was the Steelers’ OT loss to the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card round of the 2011 season
At the time, NFL rules stated that an overtime in the playoffs would end if the team that received the ball on the kickoff scored a touchdown.
Smith recalled the horror of the moment – and revealed the ways that he tried to avoid Bayless (a fan of Tebow’s) the following day.
‘I’ll never forget it, for several reasons. Number one, at the time – I mean, you know me, I’m happy and good now – I’ve been single all my life,’ Smith revealed.
‘I had a very, very beautiful, sexy woman in my life at that time. I was having a really, really, really good time most evenings with her, Skip Bayless. And I would always make sure there was a little action going on.
‘And Tim Tebow threw that damn touchdown to Demaryius Thomas. He threw that pass over the middle, that slant pattern, and that man scampered 80 yards. [Steelers player] Ike Taylor chasing him, futilely I might add, and literally – literally – I collapsed on the floor.
‘I laid there for over two hours. I didn’t move, I was so damn depressed. Because first of all, I’m a Pittsburgh Steelers fan… secondly, I was upset because we lost to Tim Tebow of all people.
‘And last, but not least, I knew what was waiting for me the next morning,’ he said. The last part was implying that a smug Bayless would rib him for the loss.
Smith continued: ‘I literally… after I finally got up form the living room floor… I couldn’t eat, couldn’t have sex, couldn’t do nothing. It was just.. one of the most awful feelings I’ve had in my career.’
It was a career highlight in the short tenure of Tim Tebow – who was out of the NFL shortly after
But then, Smith revealed that the horror of the moment led him to considering drastic measures to avoid the ESPN offices.
‘I remember spending like a legitimate two to three hours trying to conspire to come up with a way that I wouldn’t have to come into work the next morning. I was not joking, I was trying,’ he revealed.
Smith then said he considered calling out sick, getting a flat tire, or even intentionally causing a car crash to avoid having to be on the set with Bayless.
He concluded, ‘It was without question the worst day of my First Take career, without a question.’
The Thomas play was one of the most iconic moments in Broncos history and was a highlight for Tebow. But within a few seasons, he was out of the NFL altogether.
Thomas, on the other hand, went on to win Super Bowl 50 in Denver and finished his career with two All-Pro team selections and five Pro Bowl selections. He died in December of 2021 at the age of 33.
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