Smith, one of the most prominent African-American voices in sports media, said the Bengals may have fired Lewis by now if he weren’t black.
“Cincinnati’s talent is undeniable,” Smith said on ESPN’s ‘First Take.’ “There is something missing, and I believe it’s a head coach (the players) fear to hold them unaccountable. (He) has come up short on too many occasions. When it comes to becoming a leader of men … this man has religiously and continuously failed to show up.
“If it were anyone else, and I’ll go a step further, in some situations if this was a white coach, they would have been out of here by now. How this man still has this job is beyond me. They disappoint you when you don’t expect them to. It’s who they are under Marvin Lewis.”
Smith said Lewis has the acumen to be a head coach and a coordinator.
Lewis, who engineered the Baltimore Ravens record-setting and Super Bowl winning defense in 2000, was hired by the Bengals in 2003 after the franchise had sunk to record depths of losing since the death of owner Paul Brown. The team had not had a winning season since 1990.
Lewis guided the Bengals to 8-8 his first two seasons after the team went a franchise-worst 2-14 in 2002. He led the team to 11-5 his third season before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2005 AFC Wildcard playoff game, infamous for the knee injury that took out star quarterback Carson Palmer.
The Bengals have won four division titles under Lewis, been to the playoffs seven times, but have failed to win a postseason game. Lewis unofficially controls many of the Bengals football operations after renewing his contract in 2009.
The team was 55-124 in the 13 seasons prior to Lewis being hired. He's the winningest coach in team history with a 113-94-2 record.
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