It’s been a busy week of reaction to the very personal back-and-forth between ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark and former ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III. This all stems from the former Baylor quarterback saying in a tweet that he believes Chicago Sky star Angel Reese “hates” Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark. Consequently, many people from across the sports media landscape have shared their insights on the exchange between the two former NFL players, ranging from ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith to former ESPN commentator Jemele Hill.
In response, Clark took to The Pivot Podcast YouTube channel to provide a statement following the week’s events. He reflected on how he now feels he needs to better understand the power of his words.
“All of it started over an Angel Reese take that he felt was a sports take that I didn’t feel that way about. I felt that it was away from the court. I felt that it was away from basketball,” said Clark. “Because of the personal feelings I have about RG3, I took a take that was personal to another person and made it personal to myself. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Furthermore, while reflecting on the choice of words he used in reference to why he felt Griffin didn’t understand the challenges of Black women—because Griffin married a white woman—Clark apologized for invoking that issue at all.
“I shouldn’t have brought his wife into the equation. Even though in my mind, before speaking about her I processed as much as I could to speak of her in a way that was positive,” noted Clark. “Trying to make sure it only illustrated a point about the way that he approached Angel Reese, and in that in some ways to some people I probably missed the mark.”
Additionally, Clark mentioned that although he is not friends with Griffin, their past interactions did influence how he reacted to Griffin’s comments. He admitted that his remarks about Griffin’s wife prompted some to bring unwanted attention and commentary to his own family, including his children. As a result, Clark acknowledged that he should not have used Griffin’s wife as an example to make his point.
“To Greta, I was out of line. I was out of bounds, and I apologize,” said Clark. “Families should be off limits. I started that by bringing her into it. I see that now. No matter what my intent was, the impact was different. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it differently.”
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