ESPN has suspended Stephen A. Smith for a week for comments he made regarding the alleged domestic violence incident involving Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice, and the decision has started to draw widespread debate from all sides.

On Friday, he and Skip Bayless voiced their opinions regarding Rice's two-game NFL suspension stemming from the incident, as well as domestic violence in America. He and Bayless are seen normally on weekdays on "First Take" at 10 a.m. on ESPN2. For the record, this writer strongly believes that domestic violence is a problem. The facts of the case are still murky, but although Janay Rice (née Palmer) may have made a wrong decision initially, that still does not exonerate Ray Rice, as two wrongs don't make a right.

Smith said numerous times that he disagreed with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and he believed that Rice should have been suspended for more than just two games. Smith even went on to say "under no circumstances should a man ever put his hands on a women, ever."

But that's not what got him in trouble.

When discussing domestic violence, Smith said:

"What I’ve tried to employ the female members of my family — some of who you all met and talked to and what have you — is that, let’s make sure we don’t do anything to provoke wrong actions, because if I come — or somebody else come, whether it’s law enforcement officials, your brother or the fellas that you know — if we come after somebody has put their hands on you, it doesn’t negate the fact that they already put their hands on you."

Was Smith wrong or out of touch with his comments? Here's the video below:

This writer doesn't believe he was. In no way, shape or form did Smith support what Rice did that night in Atlantic City, and he certainly is not an advocate for violence. All Smith was saying it's important not to put yourself in bad situations when you have a choice.

After his comments, Smith's colleague and host of "SportsNation" Michelle Beadle took to Twitter. She said she "would never feel clean again" after watching the show. Afterwards, she posted, "I'm thinking about wearing a miniskirt this weekend...I'd hate to think what I'd be asking for by doing so."

That second tweet, in this writer's opinion, is a complete overreaction by Beadle. Wearing a miniskirt isn't the same as hitting a man, especially a drunk man at that; the latter is potentially dangerous and unpredictable. Janay Rice certainly put herself in a bad position when she hit Ray Rice.

American soccer goalkeeper Hope Solo was recently arrested for domestic violence after she assaulted her 17-year-old nephew. This hasn't got nearly as much media attention as the Ray Rice situation.

Actress and celebrity Whoopi Goldberg gave her stance on "The View":

“If you make the choice as a woman who’s 4-foot-3 and you decide to hit a guy who’s 6 feet tall and you’re the last thing he wants to deal with that day and he hits you back, you cannot be surprised!”

Again, this is the same belief as Smith. Neither are supporters of violence, but both are realists. They realize if a drunk woman strikes a drunk man, there's a good chance it will result in a bad ending. It's important not to put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation, whether you're a man or a woman.

In order to secure a full 100 percent successful relationship, it's up to both parties to be responsible. If you don't hit one another, you won't be hit back. All Smith was saying was, in order to avoid a violent conflict in the end, it's essential to make the correct decisions in the beginning.

Feel free to voice your opinion below in our comment section and vote in our poll.