Philadelphia Eagles star OT Lane Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL on Tuesday, emphasizing that it was critical for him to focus on his mental health. However, the very next day on ESPN’s First Take, when Stephen A. Smith questioned the timing of the decision, the veteran sportscaster was met with a swarm of criticism.

“You lost A.J. Brown, Devontae Smith, now he gets injured,” Smith said. “Nine starters, you finished the game without, and now the brother sat up there, one of the all-time greats at the offensive line, and what did he do? He went like this, ‘I’m going to call it quits.’ Now he calls it quits. What did he say? His mental health.”

In Stephen A. Smith’s perspective, the real reason behind Lane Johnson’s retirement was the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive struggles. Johnson was four games into his 14th NFL season, and Smith’s comments framed the tackle’s mental health decision as an excuse to leave.

After 14 seasons in the NFL, Lane Johnson’s decision to retire came as a shock to all. While Johnson initially intended the 2026 season to be a final “farewell tour,” the former OT figured that he needed to prioritize his family and personal life over anything else.

At 36, the former Eagles offensive tackle seemed clear about his priorities moving forward.

“I deeply wanted to gut it out for one more year; to take the field with my brothers for one last season,” Johnson wrote in his statement. “But after a lot of reflection, I’ve realized that my personal and family priorities in my life have changed. Right now, it is critical that I focus on my mental health.”

However, Smith’s comments on Lane Johnson’s retirement were followed by a wave of backlash from across the NFL media.

“Hey, Stephen A. Smith: Lane Johnson’s mom has cancer. His dad is also sick. I read your book, and you talked about how difficult your life got when your mom got sick, and after she passed, you had to go to therapy because you were depressed, and you took time off of work. Your mocking Lane Johnson’s mental health struggles when you’ve been open about your own mental health struggles. Come on, man. I know you’re busy, but do some research before going on TV,” NFL journalist Chase Senior wrote on X.

Smith’s own First Take co-panelist, Kimberly A. Martin, confronted him live on the air, telling him, “I feel like you’re making light of the situation,” forcing Smith into an awkward mid-show backtrack.

“Let me be very, very clear and specific… I would never make light of mental health issues. I’m making light of the Philadelphia Eagles’ trashy situation right now.”

NFL Network analyst Brett Kollman also took to X to express his thoughts, noting, “This is incredibly insensitive to Lane Johnson’s current family situation, and quite frankly it’s pretty appalling.”

In Smith’s words, he only questioned the timing of Lane Johnson’s retirement. But the way he raised his concerns live on air certainly didn’t sit well with anyone.