His television show was canceled in 2007 and his radio program was dropped from the Worldwide Leader's daily menu a year later when he also lost his daily column at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
And now, due to his inability to come to an agreement for a new compensation package with ESPN, he will be gone from their air in six weeks, according to The Big Lead.
Because he had juggled so many roles for the network, including writing for ESPN.com, the offer made by the network was for less money than he currently makes. He said no thanks and thus he will be out selling his talents.
What's the issue with Smith? Is it only in the realm of politics that the public is willing to listen to a guy who is over-the-top on a regular basis? Maybe so. His most recent work as an NBA analyst and a guest panelist on "First Take" featured a more quiet Stephen A who still brought his analysis to the table.
For me, because I was used to the bombastic personality, the watered down version wasn't very satisfying. And yet I could not make it through a full show of his whether it was on radio or television.
Is he cursed for being an over-the-top personality whose audience might be smaller than his employers need for their ad revenue or is he just a guy who decided to try some shtick, failed and now can't turn it around?
But then again, speaking of shtick, who brings more of that to the airwaves than ESPN's Dick Vitale? Match the two of them up and I think you'll agree Smith brings more insight to his work and cannot exceed Dickie V's decibel level. Vitale found his niche in the world of college sports that welcome him to games because they know when he's in the house the game is featured on the network. Smith is only one of many who break down the world of professional basketball.
But it makes you wonder right? I like his written work and I hope he keeps in up. In the meantime, as my grandmother used to say, "there's a lid for every pot Paula". I'm sure Stephen A will find his.