Stephen A. Smith apologizes for saying he loves butts

Stephen A. Smith says he went too far when professing his love for the rear-end.  

In a now-viral video, Snoop Dogg asks Smith about his favorite part of the female anatomy. The interview, which aired on Snoop Dogg's YouTube show, was conducted in October.

"I'm associated with Walt Disney, but dammit, everybody knows that I'm a bottom feeder," Smith said. 

Stephen A Smith says "always, always ass—that's true" ------He used his "we're talking about a serious topic on First Take" voice so you KNEW he meant it pic.twitter.com/4haFLbz968

The clip spread online, because, well, Stephen A. Smith talking about his admiration for butts is hilarious. But Smith apologized for the coarse comment on his radio show Wednesday, saying it does not reflect well on his employers, ESPN and Walt Disney.

"I guess it's appropriate to apologize," Smith said, per USA Today's transcript. The reason I say that is because of the attention it's brought to my employers, obviously for the wrong reasons and I have to own that.

"If I get in trouble, it's a stain on the people that work with you because it's not just about you. It's about them, too. When you look at it that way, I have no problem apologizing. I really, really don't. I don't want to hurt anybody else. I didn't think I was doing that. I honestly didn't. But guess what? You know better. Sometimes you learn better."

It's hard to see the harm in Smith's jocular answer. Yes, it's crass, but it's evident he's just joking around. ESPN says it gave Smith permission to do the interview. 

Plus, "bottom feeder" is an incredible turn of phrase. Smith should get a pass for his oratory brilliance alone.