Where did the "Eric Smith is black" meme come from?

I love how everyone calls him black, maybe because he looks kind of thug with his beard thing he has going who knows but it is classic

 

this board has improved so much since the time of the "is eric smith black" thread...i requested a permaban that season or maybe it was 2010 i dont remember.

btw, eric smith is in fact black.

 

im pretty sure its cuz his name is completely racially ambiguous.