Is it the end of Ryan Clark‘s ESPN era? Back in March, the former Steelers safety got caught in a heated online back-and-forth with ex-cornerback Asante Samuel. It all kicked off when Clark publicly slammed Samuel for comparing himself to Deion Sanders. “Asante Samuel was a very good football player, but there is no Hall of ‘Very Good’… You can have the conversation between Asante and Deion Sanders when you’re talking about technique… But let’s not stat-watch Asante… You were good… Deion Sanders shifted the power of the entire NFL,” Clark said.
Samuel didn’t take that lightly. He fired back by replying, “Uncle Tom to the rescue” on Clark’s X post. Fast forward to today, and it looks like the feud is far from over. The two have sparked up another public spat. And now, former QB Robert Griffin III has entered the drama. It all started when Ryan Clark fired back at Griffin over a comment RGIII made about WNBA star Angel Reese. Griffin had weighed in on the much-talked-about rivalry between Reese and Caitlin Clark, suggesting that ‘Angel Reese hates Caitlin Clark.’ That didn’t sit well with Ryan Clark.
In response, Clark accused Griffin of ‘not understanding the struggles of a Black woman.’ He took it a step further, saying, “You haven’t been able to do that because in both of your marriages, you’ve been married to white women.” That line sparked major backlash, with many feeling Clark crossed a line by bringing Griffin’s wife into it. As the fire spread, NFL insider Dov Kleiman added fuel to it with a post on X, “𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Many football fans are calling for ESPN to fire NFL analyst Ryan Clark…” And that’s when former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel decided to stir the pot again. He commented on Kleiman’s post with a not-so-subtle jab, “It seems to me all the cornballs that didn’t want to correctly debate my stats are getting it bad. Don’t play with 22 Shannon Sharpe, Ryan Clark, AB… I’m just a pure-hearted guy ”
It seems to me all the cornballs that didn’t want to correctly debate my stats are getting it bad. Don’t play with 22
Shannon Sharpe, Ryan Clarke, AB… I’m just a pure hearted guy https://t.co/1xPxyuCO8o
— Asante Samuel (@pick_six22) May 20, 2025
Well, looks like Clark’s firing rumors have got Asante Samuel feeling real confident. And in one comment, the former CB took shots at everyone who ever claimed Deion Sanders was the better player, including Shannon Sharpe. On the other hand, RGIII also fired back at Ryan Clark for dragging his personal life into the conversation.
Robert Griffin III shuts down Clark’s take on his personal life
Was bringing race into a sports discussion necessary? That’s what some fans have been criticizing Ryan Clark for. They think it was completely unnecessary to bring race into a sports debate. After Griffin’s opinion on the Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark controversy, Clark on The Pivot Podcast said, “When RG3 jumps onto the hate train or the angry train, it now follows what we saw from Keith Olbermann, what we saw from Dave Portnoy, as they poured onto Angel Reese to make her the villain, and Caitlin Clark the heroic or hero story.”
He accused Robert of not understanding what “athletes like Angel Reese have had to deal with being on the opposite side of Caitlin Clark’s rise and ascension into stardom.” Robert had had enough when the former Steelers safety brought up his personal life, saying he couldn’t understand the struggle because he’s married to a white woman. Calling Ryan out for crossing the line, RGIII posted a long note on X saying, “There’s a line you don’t cross in life, and Ryan Clark sprinted past it.” He added, “Ryan didn’t like my take on Angel Reese hating Caitlin Clark, and that’s fine, we can disagree. But instead of debating my point, he went after me and my family personally. That just shows how low he’s willing to go.“
The former QB reminded Ryan that he’s a sports analyst. And his comments were about Reese’s actions on the court, nothing personal. “Just because Angel Reese is Black doesn’t mean her game and actions can’t be critiqued.” Griffin bashed Clark for stepping out of the sports debate and dragging family into it just to win an argument. “It is wildly inappropriate, wrong, and extremely low to weaponize and attack a person’s wife, marriage, and family because you disagree with a sports take,” the 35-year-old added.
Looks like what started as a simple sports take has turned into something much bigger. And it’s anyone’s guess where it goes next.
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