Stephen A. Smith Ties Darryn Peterson’s Absences to NIL Issues

Darryn Peterson's freshman season at the University of Kansas has been anything but what fans expected from the 19-year-old phenom. He has missed 11 of the Jayhawks' 28 games and has consistently struggled to finish games due to a lingering cramping ailment.

Over the past few weeks, the national criticism of Peterson has reached a boiling point. Just days after Peterson was rumored to have taken himself out of the game against Oklahoma State, ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is back on his case.

On Tuesday's edition of First Take, Stephen A. doubled down on his view and ripped into the KU star even further with a bold accusation.

Stephen A. Smith Makes Bold Accusation About Darryn Peterson’s Absences

Peterson's availability issues have been linked to multiple factors this year, the primary one being leg cramping. However, he was also held out of the Arizona game two weeks ago due to flu-like symptoms and missed an exhibition at the beginning of the year because of another illness.

Stephen A. floated the possibility that there are more elements to the situation than what we know. He mentioned a narrative suggesting Peterson was giving a half effort on the court because the school had not paid him in full in NIL funds.

"Did you know, Darryn Peterson, that there are reports out there that the NIL money that you were supposed to get, you didn't get all of it?" Smith claimed. "And because you didn't get all of it, you said, 'Hey, okay, since I didn't get all of it, guess what? If you give me half of it, I'm going to give you a half-assed effort.'"

"There are people out there that have said that," Smith continued. "We don't know if it's true or not. I'm in no way saying it's true. I'm saying that narrative has been put out there about you — what are you going to do about it? It's your future, it's not ours."

While Smith attemped to leave the speculation open by softening the statement at the end, he would not have said it on an ESPN broadcast if he did not believe there was some truth to it. It would be quite jarring to make an accusation like this on live TV without any evidence.

Regardless, the national noise surrounding Peterson has hit an all-time high. This is even coming after a solid 30-minute effort against Houston, where he finished with 14 points and four rebounds, shooting 5-for-14 from the field, while logging his second straight game of 30 or more minutes.

On the season, Peterson is averaging 19.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals, shooting 40.5% from 3-point range. He is one of the most talented prospects at his position in recent history and remains the favorite to go No. 1 overall in the draft.

Despite his undeniable talent, the availability concerns are the biggest question mark heading into draft day four months from now. Smith said the only way Peterson can quiet the skepticism is by continuing to play heavy minutes, because the analysts and podcasts bashing his absences are unlikely to stop unless he gives them a reason to.

"The fact that there is questions and skepticism whether it's you, or it's your camp, and the people that are influencing the decisions that you make, that is coming across as being the reason why you are unavailable, more than your health. So if you want to change the narrative, speak up, speak out, and most importantly, exhaust yourself in every way possible to make sure you are available," Smith concluded.

Stephen A Smith response to Darryn Peterson:

“What he has to understand as a grown man growing into manhood, is your actions speak louder than your words. Reality is you’ve missed 11/12 games in your first collegiate season for stuff like cramps, and the flu, and you’ve let… https://t.co/ScGkMimE9m pic.twitter.com/DiIyfp0rvs
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