President-elect Donald Trump was inspired to run for office after a failed attempt to buy the NFL’s Buffalo Bills in 2014, ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith said this week.
Mr. Trump had experience in pro sports as owner of the USFL’s New Jersey Generals in the 1980s and reportedly claimed that NFL owners wouldn’t allow him in their ranks.
Smith said the Republican called him in 2014 to express his frustration.
“He had about $1.1 billion. I was being told he wasn’t gonna get the team,” Smith said on Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast. “He said, ‘Stephen A., if these mother———- get in my way’ — talking about the NFL owners — ‘I’m gonna get them all back. I’m gonna run for president.’”
Mr. Trump has confirmed that he was interested in buying the Bills but denied that he was particularly invested in the bid.
“I don’t think it was a very serious run,” the New York native said on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast in October. “But I gave them a guarantee of $1 billion, so that’s always serious, right?”
Smith has routinely criticized the 45th president during appearances on cable news programs since 2016. The commentator noted that Mr. Trump, despite accusations from his opponents, is not racist.
“If we’re being totally honest, all the brothers found him to be cool,” Smith told Maher. “Because he knew his sports. He would say what he feels, he bucked the establishment, which we love, and we gravitated to that.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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