Sports personality Stephen A. Smith slammed commentators for not holding Karmelo Anthony accountable in the fatal stabbing of Austin Metcalf at a track meet in April 2025.
“Ultimately, we got to pick our battles. We got to be better than that,” Smith said on Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith on Monday.
While Smith expressed his sympathies for the Anthony family and stated that he didn’t agree with how everything in the case played out, he remained steadfast in the evidence presented.
“What’s inescapable and what’s undeniable is that Karmelo Anthony said, ‘He put his hands on me so I stabbed him.’ He said, ‘It’s not alleged, I did it.’ Confessed to doing so and told people he did so,” Smith said.
Anthony, 19, was found guilty and convicted of murder. Anthony said he acted in self-defense during a track meet when he sat under a different school’s tent. Several students testified that Metcalf, 17, told Anthony multiple times to leave his team’s tent.
Witnesses say Anthony then reached into a bag, pulled out a knife, and stabbed Metcalf, who died.
Smith criticized commentator Dr. Umar Johnson for alleging that Metcalf “fell” on the knife, not that Anthony stabbed him.
“Austin fell onto Karmelo’s knife [while] trying to attack him,” Johnson said on the It’s Up There Podcast on June 16.
Johnson argued that the knife was 3.5 inches, but that the stab wound was only 2 inches.
“If I’m stabbing you, why am I going halfway with a knife blade that’s only 3.5 inches? You fell onto my knife,” Johnson said.
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“That’s the problem right there … be real about the evidence we’re looking at and go from there and pick our fights,” Smith said.
“I don’t like the idea of Karmelo Anthony being sentenced to 35 years at all. I don’t like the makeup of the jury not having an African American on it at all,” Smith added.
However, Smith emphasized the number of witnesses present who saw what happened and how Metcalf’s brother held him as he died.
“I wish this didn’t happen, I wish that he’s not going to spend at least the next 17 years in prison, barring an appeal that’s won, but he killed someone,” Smith said.
Smith said people supporting Anthony are bringing up different arguments about the legal system and inequity, but are denying the facts.
“For those who want to support Karmelo Anthony, who want to act like a crime wasn’t committed, who want to act like he was completely provoked, instead of bringing up the fact that he had no business having a knife at the track meet,” Smith said.
“Under no circumstances, based on the evidence of what has happened, did it warrant him stabbing somebody in the chest.”