Ryan Clark’s Missteps in Criticizing Aaron Rodgers: A Closer Look
Ryan Clark, an ex-NFL player who is now an ESPN contributor, has been recently much criticized for using abusive language towards the New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. But, when considering Clark’s controversies, one might wonder if he is in a position to brand someone with that label.
Apparently, Rodgers recently appeared on The Pat McAfee Show where he lambasted the people in the sports media industry for naming drop. In response, Clark delivered an emotional tirade, focusing on Rodgers’ personality:
My problem with him is you’re doing the same thing… This dude is so plain arrogant and has no idea how he sound when singing or maybe he really can’t sing. He puts a facade of being macho at some point, but he isn’t. He did not even pay the guy $100 to pretend he is talented; the only thing he knows how to do is throw a ball.
Rodgers responded by throwing shades at the reporter over Clark’s love for embroidered initials on his suit and his interest in boosters. The exchange escalated when Clark attempted to diminish Rodgers’ career, pointing out his quarterback rating and the Jets’ poor record, claiming:
“Your QBR is 21st. Your team is 4-10 and you do not do better than last year. For me, I played 13 years, won a Super Bowl, was a team captain and co-host the Emmy nominated podcast.”
Even though Clark was decent throughout his NFL career, all football fans agree that Rodgers is amongst the best in the history of football, as he has four MVP awards, 10 Pro Bowls, and is a future Hall of Famer.
The Broader View of Controversy
Clark personalises the criticisms he makes of Rodgers and his responses have elicited hypocrisy remarks. Clark has been in the news before for his ethically ambiguous actions, and this is not the first time people seem to have reported abuse Notably:
Refusal to Engage with Opposing Viewpoints: Lawsuit against Disney showed Clark refused to be on-air with Sage Steele because she did not align with his progressive liberal politics despite his statements about unafraid to have tough discussions.
Conflict of Interest: Another impugnable issue that threatens Clark’s neutrality is that he employs the service of David Mulugheta, an NFL player agent. Some media info state that Clark has employed his show in ESPN to fight on behalf of Mulugheta’s clients such as Deshaun Watson who is accused of multiple instances of misconduct.
Controversial Statements: Back in March, Clark labelled Lamar Jackson as “the first true authentic black quarterback,” a comment which many people considered racist.
A Diminished Credibility
Numerous complaints have arisen concerning Clark’s position at ESPN which is the halftime analyst for ESPN on Monday Night Football. In subsequent responses, Clark combined aggressive ad hominem with insightful professional commentary, opening the possibility that he and the platform may be tarred and feathered alike for the insults.
Instead of elevating the discourse, Clark’s feud with Rodgers and other questionable actions highlight a troubling trend: that by giving this man this platform to act as a judge he has taken time to produce the final list of people he would like to see suffer and share Propaganda stories that at times cause one to develop high blood pressure. Since ESPN’s patrons are increasingly becoming critical of its personalities, Clark may need to take a pause before inflicting more harm on his sports analyst profile.
