Stephen A. Smith jokingly calls out Donald Trump for golfing with 'laughing stock' Pete Bevacqua

Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua has taken plenty of heat this week following his recent criticism after the No. 11 Fighting Irish were left out of this year’s College Football Playoff field on Selection Sunday. Both ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark condemned the Notre Dame AD for blasting the CFP selection process and the ACC for campaigning for No. 10 Miami, which leapfrogged the Irish on Sunday to secure the Playoff’s final at-large bid due to Week 1’s head-to-head victory.

ESPN talking heads Paul Finebaum and Stephen A. Smith joined the Bevacqua condemnation on Wednesday, with Finebaum even comparing the Fighting Irish AD’s CFP complaints to Shakespeare’s Macbeth “because it says a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing, and that’s what he’s been doing all week” early on Wednesday’s Get Up morning show.

Smith doubled down on his ongoing criticism during Wednesday’s First Take, with President Donald Trump even catching a stray after Finebaum revealed Bevacqua recently played a round of golf with Trump and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to discuss ways to address the problems with college sports.

“(Bevacqua) was on that level, he was the go-to person for the President of the United States. Now he’s a laughing stock, and that’s bad for Notre Dame,” Finebaum said Wednesday morning on First Take.

Upon hearing that nugget, Smith immediately dove in, firing off a lengthy and breathless rant about Bevacqua and Trump, albeit more in jest when referring to the 45th and 47th President.

Stephen A. Smith blasts Donald Trump’s relationship with Notre Dame AD: ‘What the hell you doing on the golf course with him?’

“Well I’m trying to figure out what’s going on, why was he on that golf course. They could’ve come up with a whole bunch of better (representatives) than Pete Bevacqua to figure out what’s wrong with college football. Why the hell would they go to him? This is one of the mistakes, I’m calling out the President: what the hell you doing on the golf course with him?” Smith said. “Nick Saban, you could’ve called him, he’s retired and has a bunch of ideas. Kirby Smart could’ve helped you out. Dabo Swinney could’ve helped you out. Pete Bevacqua, why him?”

Smith’s diatribe diverged into a lengthy rant about the chaotic nature of modern day college sports — including NIL and the transfer portal — and how multiple government officials have taken steps to provide relief in the form of congressional bills.

“The point I’m making is, it doesn’t involved Pete Bevacqua, because this guy, his behavior resembles what the NCAA made so problematic for so long because they wanted the bag (money) for themselves and they didn’t want to share it with the students,” Smith continued. “Well this guy right here (Bevacqua) wants the bag for himself and doesn’t want to share it with any conference, and it ended up costing them. It’s cost him his reputation, and by the way, we can’t rule out whether or not it’ll cost him his head coach (Marcus Freeman).”

Rather than touching that particular third rail, Finebaum closed the First Take segment by pointing out Bevacqua and Trump have a longstanding relationship dating back to the Notre Dame AD’s time as head of the United States Golf Association.

“It doesn’t really matter, he’s friends with the President. Bevacqua was the head of the PGA of America, so they did deals at Doral and all the other places people do deals nowadays,” Finebaum added. “But I completely agree. … And if I can say something, I just heard the campaign slogan of the 48^th President of the United States, Stephen Anthony Smith.”