I don't think being a podcaster has been good for Steve. There was a time where I thought he had learned from the immaturity of his playing days. The Shannon Sharpe interview he talked about going to therapy, battling depression, wishing he had been a better teammate, it seemed like he genuinely was a changed man and in a better place mentally. And then his behavorial care facility in Charlotte felt like nice closure on it all.
But then he started doing more podcasts and stuff and all that kind of unraveled. Steve strikes me as a guy who absolutely reads the comments and has to say something back. It's part of what makes him entertaining as analyst, but I think working for the NFL Network helped him keep it all in check. Like his beef with Jeff Jeudy started off with disrespectful but in the end he kept it professional and apologized. He doesn't have to answer to anyone on his podcast so there's no filter when the old Smitty pops back out. I'm not a therapist but I'm not sure it's a healthy platform for a guy battling a lifelong chip on his shoulder.