Are you comfortable yet?

There is no such study that I know of. But unless you’ve lived in a cave your whole life, you’ve undoubtedly seen someone provoke another person to violence. It does happen.

Recently ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith suggested that it was possible that this could have been a factor in Ray Rice’s recent domestic violence charge. Despite the fact he made it clear it was 100% his fault and didn’t condone it, he was murdered on social media for offering any possible defense of Rice.

I don’t personally make any effort to watch Smith on television, but by virtue of watching sports, still get inundated with clips of him. He was undoubtedly asked about Ray Rice hundreds of times and eventually threw a take out there that hadn’t been stated. But it hadn’t been stated for a reason. It deviated from the overriding narrative of “Ray Rice bad” and implies that his wife somehow deserved it, so he got murdered. But he didn’t say that his wife deserved it. He went out of his way to clarify that he wasn’t saying that. So because he indirectly put the “she deserved it” thought in our head and made people uncomfortable, he’s automatically the enemy.

He had a point, which was we don’t know all the details. Maybe she knew how to agitate him, and did just that. Does it excuse Rice’s behavior? No, but if true paints the story in a different light.

I guess now it’s my turn to get murdered for saying this.