After his comments about Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson retiring for mental health reasons, Stephen A. Smith apologized. Smith's comments appeared to mock Lane Johnson for retiring and insinuating it was because of the Eagles' early-season struggles.
“Now he calls it quits, not before the season. Not in the offseason…four games into the 2026 season, a dude that has been in the league forever, sits back and says I need to focus on my mental health,” Smith said on Wednesday's edition of First Take.
He immediately clarified after fellow panelist and NFL reporter Kimberly Martin said that it sounded like he was making light of Johnson's mental health.
“Let me be very, very clear and specific about what I'm saying, I would never make light of mental health issues,” said Smith.
"I'm sorry that when I was on television earlier this morning… people misconstrued me minimizing mental health. I would never do that. … I wasn't talking about [Lane Johnson] and mental health. I was talking about how the Eagles and how chaotic this situation is can drive you… https://t.co/FExp9Y8aQF
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 7, 2026
He then gave a longer apology on his radio show on SiriusXM on Wednesday afternoon.
Article Continues Below“I'm sorry that when I was on television earlier this morning… people misconstrued me minimizing mental health. I would never do that. … I wasn't talking about [Lane Johnson] and mental health. I was talking about how the Eagles and how chaotic this situation is can drive you to it.”
Johnson announced his retirement on Tuesday after missing the Eagles' Week 4 matchup against the Rams for personal reasons. He shared the announcement of his retirement on his social media accounts.
“I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season. But after a lot of reflection, I've realized that my personal and family priorities have changed. Right now it is critical that I focus on my mental health,” Johnson wrote. “I owe it to my teammates, coaches, the organization and the fans to have my head and heart 100 percent in the game. And right now my heart is telling me that it's time to say goodbye to football.”