Last week, there was an incident at a Whataburger restaurant in Tempe, Arizona where three Arizona State football players, including freshman defensive back Jordan Clark, were called a racial slur by a female customer. She complained to the manager saying she was harassed by the football players even though the players only asked that she order the food for them and they would pay for it.
Last week, Clark released a statement on social media describing the specifics of what happened that night with the customer and their interaction with the manager afterwards:
The name Jordan Clark might sound somewhat familiar because he is the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back and current ESPN analyst, Ryan Clark. Whataburger publicly apologized for what happened and released this statement on Twitter:
On Friday mornings’s Get Up, Clark had the opportunity to talk about the conversation that he had with his son and in the video, you will hear him share a story of what happened to his dad back in 1977.
“What’s crazy is I wasn’t mad at the young lady or the woman or the manager, I was mad at myself. I was mad at Jordan and I’m not necessarily sure that was the right emotion to have but nothing pisses me off more than being scared…. This isn’t just a fear for me everyday, this has been a fear of black people forever.”
Clark was not afraid to show his emotion as well in thanking everyone who reached out to him with their support:
“I’m blessed my child is still here. If something would have happened to him, it would have broke me. For me, I got to do a better job of educating him and I have to protect him because I wouldn’t know how to live if he wouldn’t have made it out. Thank you to everyone that reached out to me. I know it’s getting better, but it’s not better yet and better for everyone. We have to keep staying together and doing what we can.”
Later that day, on the mid-day SportsCenter, Matt Barrie addressed the story and as an alum of Arizona State, he had some words to say about the school, to the Clark family, and to his home state of Arizona.
“I want to say it to Jordan Clark. Jordan, I have talked to you numerous times at football events and you are a damn good kid. You and your teammates did not deserve this. I went to Arizona State, I’m from Arizona. This is not the place you signed up for, so I apologize that you went through this.
“Ryan Clark, you are a damn good father and you sent your son to a good university in Arizona State. This is not what my home state stands for. Arizona, do better and be better. Do not let this woman act like this and bring my state into national headlines when these were innocent college football kids going out to get a meal… To my own state, pick yourself up because this is embarrassing.”
It was great to see ESPN stand behind the Clark family and it is clear you saw a case of a company standing behind one of its own emphatically and showing support at a time when it is needed. He took a stance against the actions of what happens while showing support. It’s a good representation of the change that is trying to occur in this country right now.
