ESPN handed down a one-week suspension on Tuesday for First Take host Stephen Smith for the controversial remarks he made on-air about domestic violence.

A public apology from sports analyst Stephen A. Smith was aired on Monday for his controversial comments on a two-game suspension given to Baltimore Ravens' Ray Rice for allegedly beating a woman who is now his wife. Smith used the term 'provoke' when explaining his take on the case.

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Taking on a suspension of his own, Smith expressed his sincere apologies to all female victims of domestic violence and his own female relatives, especially his mother and four sisters.

"I've religiously spoken out against domestic violence all of my life. I've done so repeated over 20 years," he stated explaining that he had not intentionally meant that women share some of the blame by provoking men to hit them.

The remarks have drawn anger from many who were able to watch Friday's episode of First Take, even from another ESPN host Michelle Beadle who had expressed her dissent about Smith's statement.

"So I was forced to watch this morning's First Take. A) I'll never feel clean again B) I'm now aware that I can provoke my own beating," she posted on Twitter on July 26.

After apologies were made, a statement from ESPN about the sports analyst's suspension was released.

"Stephen A. Smith will not appear on First Take or ESPN Radio for the next week. He will return to ESPN next Wednesday," ESPN said in the statement posted on the First Take website.

ESPN has also clarified in the statement that Smith's remarks did not reflect the network's stand on the issue and are taking appropriate actions to prevent similar events from occurring in the future.

"We've said publicly and in this space that (Smith's) remarks did not reflect our company's point of view or our values," ESPN President John Skipper wrote on a statement.

After receiving his suspension, Smith tweeted his acceptance of the network's decision.

Tagsray rice, Michelle Beadle, Stephen Smith domestic violence