Ryan Clark has never been one to shy away from bold takes. But lately, critics say he’s gone too far—and Jason Whitlock is leading the charge.
On a recent episode of his Fearless podcast, Whitlock didn’t mince words. He believes Clark should be fired, accusing him of leaning too heavily on race-driven narratives.
“One of our demands I’m calling for, unless you guys talk me out of it is, fire Ryan Clark,” Whitlock said. “Just fire him for race-baiting. Let that send out a message to any and everybody else that wants to come on air and just race-bait rather than actually say something informative and substantive.”
He doubled down, adding:
“That’ll send a chilling effect throughout the rest of the sports media. Cut it out.”
Whitlock’s gripe is that Ryan Clark often brings race into discussions where, in his view, deeper, more thoughtful analysis is needed. Instead of unpacking the layers of a story, Clark’s commentary, he claims, too often reduces players to just their skin color.
Clark faced similar backlash earlier this year during a public feud with Robert Griffin III. The two clashed online after RGIII accused him of unfairly criticizing Angel Reese following her scuffle with Caitlin Clark on opening day.
The exchange turned personal fast. Clark fired back, saying Griffin’s opinion was invalid “because he had a white wife.” The situation escalated before Clark walked it back, saying things had gotten out of hand.
Sage Steele Pushes Back on Ryan Clark’s Shedeur Sanders Remarks
Ryan Clark also raised eyebrows after comments he made about Shedeur Sanders, suggesting the young quarterback was being judged more harshly due to his swagger, appearance, and race.
“It’s not just about him being Deion Sanders’ son,” Clark said. “It’s about the bravado he carries… the color of his skin sometimes at the position can be questioned.”
That didn’t sit well with former SportsCenter host Sage Steele.
“At what point does playing the race card get old??? It’s exhausting,” she wrote on X. “And takes away from legitimate instances of racism.”
Others echoed her take, saying Clark’s approach is becoming more divisive than insightful.
For now, ESPN hasn’t responded. But Whitlock’s call has added more fuel to the ongoing debate around race in sports media.
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