ESPN CO-HOSTS HAVE NASTY ALTERCATION AT AN ORLANDO PARTY FOR JOURNALISTS

HUGH DOUGLAS & MICHAEL SMITH

Hugh Douglas and Michael Smith, two thirds of ESPN’s afternoon TV show, Numbers Never Lie, were involved in a heated verbal altercation Friday night at a party in Orlando, three sources who witnessed the incident exclusively tell the Big Lead.
Douglas and Smith, both in Orlando for the National Association of Black Journalists convention, were attending a Sports Task Force party at the House of Blues when tensions rose and the pair had to be separated, sources said.

Douglas, a former NFL defensive lineman, is 6-foot-2 and more than 280 pounds; Smith, a journalist, is considerably smaller. It is unclear if the altercation got physical, but a source who witnessed most of the skirmish described the dust-up as “very ugly.”

An ESPN spokesman refused comment. Neither Smith nor Douglas have tweeted since the incident.

One source who was at the party said the verbal barbs were so nasty that “there’s no way” Douglas will be on Numbers Never Lie this week. An ESPN spokesman wouldn’t confirm that.