Stephen A. Smith opens up on the death of his mother Janet in 2017 and says ‘for two tears, every single day I wished I was dead’ in tearful address to camera – as he considers how his critical sports coverage impacts struggling athletes

Stephen A. Smith opened up about his mental health struggles when his mother was on camera in a tearful speech on his YouTube show in June 2017.

Smith’s admission came as part of a larger segment on his self-titled show and how he considers the impact of his NFL coverage on stars like Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

The ESPN First Take host often enjoyed the Cowboys’ struggles and criticized Prescott’s performances this season.

But he revealed that a friend had reached out to him before he went on air recently, drawing attention to Prescott’s mental health struggles in 2020, when his brother took his own life seven years after the death of their mother.

‘I am a human being first. To be completely honest, I know the feeling,’ said Smith, 55, before discussing the death of his own mother six years ago.

Stephen A. Smith made a tearful admission about how his mother’s death affected him

Janet Smith died six years ago on 1 June 2017 after a battle with cancer – Smith described her as ‘the greatest person I’ve ever known’

“Anyone who knows me knows in June, June 1st to be exact, knows what that day is. That was the day I lost the greatest woman I have ever known. I have lost the greatest person I have ever known. It was Janet Smith, my mother.

“When I went back and read what Dak Prescott said and the problems his brother had, I can tell ladies and gentleman.

‘I never thought about killing myself, but for two years every single day at a certain moment I wished I was dead. This is how bad my life was without my mother.

“I’ve said this to a lot of people in private, but one of the worst parts – and my mother was battling cancer for a long time and suffered – but one of the things that really raked my soul… but the part about me not being able to move on for so long that I had to go to therapy, but when it hit home for me, it was the fact that I was single.

‘You are on your own as you never made that commitment but knew you had unconditional love from your mother. It hit me as the casket sank into the ground.

‘That’s when it was over, when I felt it was over. And I wanted to die because she meant so much to me. I knew for the rest of my life I would never, ever have someone like that again.

‘I never want a brother (Prescott) to feel like he’s in that kind of abyss. That life is so low. I might make fun of a Cowboys loss, but that’s me as a fan having fun against Cowboys fans. I wish him no ill.’

Smith is known for his animated and timely critical coverage of sports in the US

Smith paid tribute to the resilience of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott

Prescott (30) spoke about his own struggles in 2020.

If you have thoughts that you’ve never had before, I think more than anything it’s a chance to realize it and recognize it, to be vulnerable about it,’ Prescott said.

‘Talked to my family, talked to the people around me just like I did back then. Some of them had obviously dealt with it before, were able to have those conversations and then just reach out to more people.

“I think being open about it and not holding those feelings in has been one of the better things for me.”