Ryan Clark Misses the Point When Discussing Cam Newton, Jason Whitlock, and Stephen A.

Ryan Clark did not approve of Cam Newton interviewing Jason Whitlock last week and asking him about Stephen A. Smith.

In an X post on Tuesday, Clark questioned Newton's "loyalty" to Smith.

"If someone shows you love, has you on "their" show twice a week… at least. You don’t bring his known enemy on your show and allow your guest to talk 💩 about person. That’s not G at all. Loyalty is at a minimum these days," Clark posted.

For someone who portrays himself as a tough guy on social media, Clark's refusal to name either Whitlock or Newton is amusing.

He also misses the mark.

Whitlock did not appear on Newton's podcast to talk "shit" about Smith. The majority of the conversation focused on Whitlock's criticism of Newton and vice versa. It was not until toward the end that Newton asked Whitlock about his "beef" with Smith.

Whitlock said he believes Smith is "fraudulent," citing stories about him claiming to have made 17 straight three pointers to earn a walk-on scholarship at an HBCU and witnessing various unsolved murders during his youth.

Newton responded to the criticism about interviewing Whitlock on Tuesday:

"You cannot allow people to come on your platform and you control how it goes. You only can allow them to speak their truth how they know their truth to be," Newton said. "And if you don’t know, you can respectfully say, ‘I don’t know if this is true or not.’ So when Stephen A. says, ‘You didn’t hammer down on the question.’ I didn’t know that it was a lie."

The last point is worth highlighting. Ryan Clark suggests Newton should have defended Smith after Whitlock said he lied. However, as Newton noted, he could not refute the claims because he did not know if they were false.

Consider that Smith recorded a nearly 35-minute, wrestling-style promo to Whitlock on Monday and never refuted any of the accusations. Instead, Smith repeatedly called Whitlock "fat" and emphasized that he makes more money in mainstream media.

If Smith cannot defend himself, why should Newton?

Smith's honesty is a notable point of contention, anyway. The stories he tells about himself rarely make sense: the walk-on scholarship, the unusually large screw in his knee, the witnessing of various shootings, averaging 1.5 points per game while playing only one game, and changing the story about his relationship with his father in his memoir.

His former co-host Skip Bayless has also publicly challenged him over claims about their partnership.

Yet Ryan Clark believes anyone who appears on "First Take" owes it to Smith to defend these points, even though Smith has not done so himself.

Cam Newton, Ryan Clark, and Jason Whitlock via Getty

It is also important to note what is happening here. Clark is a polarizing figure inside ESPN. He is not well-liked among colleagues or executives. His commentary has become increasingly focused on race and more reckless in recent years. He has apologized for several remarks, including shaming Robert Griffin III for marrying a white woman and scolding Peter Schrager on air.

Clark does have a valuable ally in Smith, who called him "brilliant" on Monday in his response to Whitlock. He understands he can continue operating the same way as long as Stephen A., who is also the executive producer of "First Take," supports him.

In other words, Clark does not care whether Smith is telling the truth or whether Whitlock's criticisms are fair. He attacked Cam Newton because it serves his interest to show loyalty to Smith.

Newton is different. While "First Take" has raised his profile, he does not need Stephen A. or ESPN. His podcast is a hit and is arguably better suited for a nontraditional format.

Finally, we respect that Newton was willing to interview Whitlock. We need more conversations with people who disagree, not less.