While former ESPN teammates Ryan Clark and Robert Griffin III continue to wage a personal battle via social media, the controversy originated from Caitlin Clark’s flagrant foul on Angel Reese as the Indiana Fever opened up their regular season against the Chicago Sky on Saturday. Meanwhile, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has responded to his name being brought up in Clark’s initial response to a tweet by Griffin, who said Angel Reese “hates” Caitlin Clark—despite Reese never saying as much.
“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 heroic or hero story,” said Clark on Monday. “The one thing we know about RG3 is he’s not having conversations at his home about what black women have to endure in this country.”
Subsequently, Portnoy took to his own social media account to respond to Clark invoking his name in his critique of Griffin, calling the name drop “infuriating.”
“Angel Reese has been nothing but an instigator, agitator, and jackass for the last couple of years,” said Portnoy. “She (Caitlin Clark) has never said one thing racist, her fans just love her. But if you have one player who’s constantly poking at you. Constantly prodding, constantly degrading you, constantly doing these things. Yes, you’re going to f***ing hate her.”
Portnoy, who describes himself as a Caitlin Clark fan, stated that he enjoys her style of basketball and has never seen a player—black or white—with the type of game she possesses. Moreover, the Barstool Sports founder did not stop there. He then went on to criticize those who invoke race into the conversation surrounding Reese and Clark.
“I’m sick of the Ryan Clarks. I’m sick of the Stephen A. Smiths. I’m sick of ESPN making it a race issue,” said Portnoy. “You have a superior basketball player who constantly has someone below taking shots at them, won’t shut up and then plays the victim. She said she wanted to be the villain… it’s made her rich, it’s made her popular. If she didn’t have Caitlin, nobody would know who she is.”
Finally, Portnoy pleaded for rivalries to be considered acceptable in sports and not about race at all.
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