ESPN's Ryan Clark Is Running Out Of Apologies | Bobby Burack

For the third time in as many months, ESPN commentator Ryan Clark has issued an apology.

He first apologized for shaming Robert Griffin III for marrying a white woman. Next, he said he was sorry for a "regrettable" on-air and off-air moment in which he belittled his colleague Peter Schrager for not playing in the NFL. On Thursday, Clark apologized for stating that the Louisiana police manufactured evidence against an "innocent" Kyren Lacy, a former LSU wide receiver who later died by suicide.

"I always strive to do my best to mix authenticity with the most complete and up-to-date information available. I failed to do that on Monday night based on the subsequent evidence released by the Louisiana State Police Department," Clark said on First Take Thursday. "I set the highest standards of fairness and, most importantly, righteousness in my work. I didn't meet that standard."

It’s nice that he apologized again, but how many more chances does he get? Ryan Clark is averaging an apology a month, each time for an egregious mistake.

"I’ve never had to apologize for anything I’ve said on radio or TV in twenty years," Clay Travis posted on X. "That’s because I have an IQ above room temperature and I do my homework. Ryan Clark has to apologize monthly because he doesn’t."

And that’s the problem. 

Clark views himself as an intellect whose wisdom is essential to broader societal discussion. However, Clark might be the only one to see himself that way. Almost any time he broaches a topic behind defensive formations, he exposes himself as grossly uninformed and reckless.

Consider that he tried turning a debate about Angel Reese with Griffin into a referendum on interracial marriage. His goal was to argue that black men who marry white women are misinformed about the supposed struggles of black women. Instead, his comments came across as ignorant and racially charged. He later claimed Griffin had no experience talking to black females, despite having four black daughters and a black mother.

How does that happen? The same way a discussion about CeDee Lamb turns into an off-air confrontation with Schrager about his qualifications to discuss professional football.

Clark's remarks this week were even worse. He used his platform to defame a private citizen. Over the weekend, Clark posted a video declaring Lacy "innocent" and labeling Officer Tyler Werner a "criminal."

Werner is not a criminal at this point. There is no evidence that he or other officers coerced Lacy, despite claims from the former player’s defense attorney. And yet, Clark repeated his accusations during Monday Night Football coverage this week.

Apology aside, Clark went off script before more than 20 million viewers and accused an entire police department of criminal activity without adequate evidence. That's unjustifiable. And as longtime sportswriter Jason Whitlock noted, it could also be actionable.

"[I] think someone at ESPN finally realized the attacks on law enforcement from Clark, McAfee, [and] Van Pelt opened the Worldwide Leader to a lawsuit. Highly negligent what was allowed," Whitlock posted.

It’s true that ESPN commentators Scott Van Pelt and Pat McAfee made similar accusations and later apologized. They should be held accountable as well. Still, Clark went much further, especially in his attacks on Werner. And there’s a pattern with him.

Moreover, Ryan Clark is hardly irreplaceable. He doesn’t host a show, drive ratings, or enhance ESPN’s brand. He’s not Stephen A. Smith, Van Pelt, McAfee or Michael Wilbon. Yet he causes more trouble internally and publicly than any of the network’s top stars.

There’s little debate at this point that Clark is more of a problem than he’s worth. The network gains nothing by keeping him on air and constantly has to respond to his conduct.

In most workplaces, an employee with Clark’s record would have been fired months ago. Had ESPN dismissed him after he disrespected Griffin’s family, the false segment about Kyren Lacy never would have aired.

That’s where the blame falls on ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro. Pitaro continues to protect Clark because he fears the backlash that might follow if he fires him. No one knows this better than Clark, which is why he behaves as if he’s beyond accountability. Under Pitaro’s leadership, he is.

The Louisiana police should be as angered with Pitaro for allowing this type of behavior as they are with Clark for slandering the department.

If the question is how many more apologies, mistakes, and racially charged remarks Ryan Clark does get, take the over. Jimmy Pitaro has created a culture where those with the right politics and skin color are nearly untouchable.

For comparison, Clark returned to ESPN two days after his comments about Lacy, while the same network took Paul Finebaum off the air for expressing interest in running for Senate as a Republican.