Former NFL teammates and ESPN colleagues Ryan Clark and Robert Griffin III recently made headlines for an argument stemming from arguably the WNBA’s biggest rivalry, which is brewing between stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese.
Clark recently stepped over the line when he brought Griffin’s marriage into the discussion by saying that the former Heisman winner only saw the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry one way because his wife is white.
Stephen A. Smith Sticks Up for Ryan Clark After Calls for His Job
On The Stephen A. Smith Show earlier this week, the longtime ESPN personality chatted about the argument between the two and showed support for Clark, specifically, after some called for ESPN to fire him.
Here is what he had to say:
“I don’t want to hear s–t about Ryan Clark getting fired. I don’t want to hear that. Ryan Clark is my colleague, he is my friend and brother. He is a good man, and he’s a good brother. And there is no way on earth that I would be quiet if he was fired over something like this.”
Smith went on to note how he believes that Clark was not right in what he said, and he believes that the former Pro Bowl safety doesn’t like Griffin, whom he played with in 2014 with the Washington Commanders.
Would ESPN Fire Ryan Clark?
The idea of the network letting go of Clark for this misstep seems a little far-fetched, especially considering this argument occurred with someone who doesn’t work for ESPN anymore.
Griffin was let go by ESPN before the start of last year’s NFL season in a round of significant staff cuts.
Clark has been with ESPN since 2015 and has been a key member of programs such as NFL Live, Get Up, and Monday Night Countdown.
While Clark saying what he said about Griffin’s marriage in relation to the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry was one step too far, Clark has been known to be a very smart and educated media personality.
His long history with the network is also on his side, seeing as he has been a cornerstone analyst for a decade now.
If ESPN were to fire Clark over these comments, it would be somewhat stunning given all of Clark’s contributions over the years.
But whatever went down between Clark and Griffin during their time together, both on the field in Washington and at the network, it doesn’t seem like it was anything positive.