Stephen A. Smith Talks Terrell Owens Feud, Says Former NFL Star Once Tried to Sue Him

Amid his ongoing back-and-forth with former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith dedicated a whole episode of his podcast to addressing the Pro Football Hall of Famer.

During Monday's episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith revealed that his beef with Owens doesn't stem from an exchange involving Max Kellerman, but rather from the fact that Owens tried to sue him at one point.

"We stopped talking because after you saw that hit from Max Kellerman, Terrell Owens tried to sue me," Smith said around the 16:57 mark. "He had lawyers contact ESPN, who obviously contacted me, to try and sue me. Needless to say, it was laughable. It never went anywhere. He wasn't getting a damn dime which he was hoping to get. That's why I was pissed off Saturday, because we haven't spoken since then because he tried to sue me."

Smith further explained that Owens accused him of publicizing an off-the-record conversation, which is unethical in any form of journalism. Smith vehemently denied the notion.

"He tried to sit up there and say I did something I've never done in my career, and that is take an off-the-record conversation and publicize it," he said. "I have never done that in my career. On the soul of everything I love, I don't do that."

Owens later responded to Smith's video:

Smith and Owens became entangled over the weekend with a series of exchanges over social media. A video of Smith discussing his working relationship with Kellerman prompted a post that included a video of Owens' appearance on ESPN's First Take from years ago. When Owens retweeted the post, Smith took aim at him.

Smith maintained during his podcast that he hadn't had contact with Owens in quite some time.

"The point is, he tried to sue me," he said. "And from that point forward, I said I could never talk to him, because who knows what he's gonna try to turn into a lawsuit? And I have stayed away from him from that day forward."