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Despite getting an online Twitter petition is his honor in the wake of his suspension for controversial comments on domestic violence, Stephen A. Smith is taking his punishment like a man and taking that solitary walk of struggle.

TMZ caught up with the recently iced sports anchor in hopes of agitating some sort of defiant response regarding his week-long removal from ESPN, but no such statement was made. Instead, Smith told the reporter that he stood by his network even as he was being reprimanded.

“Deal with the things that you do,” he coldly stated. “It was my mistake. ESPN has every right to make the decision that they made and I support their decision.”

The incident spread like wildfire on Friday, July 25 when Smith was quoted saying women shouldn’t provoke a man to beat them after Ray Rice got a slap on the wrist by the NFL for cold-clocking his wife. Obviously, his poorly worded opinion was destined to spark a national outrage, and here we are.

“I was raised in a family full of women…and of course anything associated with domestic violence is something I’ve supported,” Smith continued. “I’ve always been a staunch advocate against any man putting his hands on any woman and that will never change.”

Peep the video interview below.

Photo: Derrick Salters/WENN.com