Stephen A. Smith has branded himself as one of the most recognizable personalities Online Cigarettes Store USA on ESPN, if not all of the sports media world.
Now, he’s going to be paid like it.
Smith and ESPN have reached an agreement after months of negotiations on a five-year deal worth Newport Cigarettes Shop nearly $8 million per year to keep him at the network, according to the New York Post. He is now set to be ESPN’s highest-paid on-air personality.
The 51-year-old has been with the network since 2005, making waves with his involvement on “First Take,” “The Stephen A. Smith Show,” ESPN’s NBA coverage and more. According to the Post, Smith will remain on “First Take” each morning and expand his role on “SportsCenter” — including hosting a special Wednesday night edition ahead of their NBA slate that night throughout the season. His radio show, however, is reportedly set to end next year. Kevin and Linda O'Leary are being sued for wrongful death for their involvement in August's fatal boating accident. The family of one of the victims is seeking punitive, exemplary and aggravated damages. The driver of the other boat, Richard Ruh, is also named in the lawsuit.
Linda O'Leary, the wife of the Shark Tank star, was allegedly driving the boat on Lake Joseph when it crashed into another vessel. Two passengers on Ruh's boat — Gary Poltash, 64, and Susanne Brito, 48 — were killed. Three others were hospitalized, including one passenger Newport box 100s cigarettes on the O'Learys boat, but all were later released. Brito’s parents, Rosa and Antonio Ragone, and sister Paula are taking legal action.
"For this grieving family, it is about obtaining civil justice so as to prevent these types of deaths and curtailing reckless and dangerous behavior from continuing on our lakes," attorney Patrick Brown said in a press release.