Like a cat emerging from an all-night linen closet buffet, Stephen A. Smith looked you dead in the eye as he coughed up a wet wad of Deflategate hearsay onto your living room rug Tuesday morning.
The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre posted video of Smith on First Take claiming he's heard New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady destroyed his cellphone in response to the NFL's request to look into his communications with Patriots equipment staff.
"I'm hearing that Tom Brady actually destroyed his cellphone," Smith said.
Now, an argument could be made that "hearing" and knowing things are mutually exclusive phenomena.