Stephen A. Smith calls Gov. Morrisey ‘childish' following NCAA investigation order
Video: Morrisey, McCuskey call for investigation into NCAA following WVU tournament snub
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — Following WVU's snub from the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey ordered Attorney General JB McCuskey to investigate the NCAA Selection Committee. But some, including sports media personality Stephen A. Smith, disagree with the decision to call out the NCAA.
In Tuesday's episode of the ESPN program 'First Take,' Smith criticized Morrisey's move to call for an investigation against the NCAA given his position as an elected official.
It's embarrassing for an elected official to take the position that he's taken. You know, literally calling for an investigation. You can complain, and he has legitimacy with his complaints, but to go this far and to really really try to force an investigation—it's utterly ridiculous, it's childish and you would like to think our elected officials have something better to do with their time on behalf of their constituency.
Stephen A. Smith on First Take
Despite the criticism of Morrisey's action against the NCAA, Smith did say that Morrisey's anger and frustration toward the committee was justified given that Bubba Cunningham, the athletic director of the University of North Carolina, was on the selection committee and his school got in over WVU.
'North Carolina does not deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament and Bubba Cunningham—some dude named Bubba—is not only the on the selection committee, he's the head of the selection committee,' Smith said. 'In the case of West Virginia, they did have a better resume because they had six Quad 1 wins and North Carolina like I said went 1-12.'
WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez's TikTok dance ban raises First Amendment concerns
However, Smith added that WVU was 'nothing to write home about' heading into Selection Sunday, citing the team's 10-10 conference record and the loss to last-place Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament.
'There is a case where it's justified to tell a politician 'sit your ass down.' This is one of those situations,' Smith said. 'This is not something that warrants an investigation.'
First Take Co-Host Shannon Sharpe also chimed in, criticizing Morrisey's use of the phrase 'miscarriage of justice' when referring to WVU's snub from the tournament.
'West Virginia, y'all got other things,' Sharpe said. 'This man out his mind. You mean to tell me Stephen A. that this man gonna call a press conference and do all this grandstanding and talking about a miscarriage of justice about a team not making the NCAA—not making March Madness? Is that what we've been reduced to as a society?'
Sharpe said that the phrase 'miscarriage of justice' could be better used to describe things like the education and housing situations in West Virginia. As of the latest rankings, U.S. News and World Report places West Virginia as 48th in education and 6th in homelessness rate.
Gov. Morrisey held a general press conference on Tuesday where he discussed energy in West Virginia. The topic of the state's investigation into the NCAA was not mentioned.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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