ESPN's Ryan Clark Gets Flamed For Likening Joe Flacco Being Named Browns' Starter To Jesus' Resurrection
Ah, yes, the ol' Flacco-Jesus Christ comparison.
The Cleveland Browns officially named Joe Flacco their starting quarterback on Monday. Most reacted to the announcement accordingly, chalking it up to a franchise with low expectations turning to a veteran signal caller to begin the new campaign. ESPN's Ryan Clark took a different, more extreme route with his reaction, likening Flacco being named QB1 to the resurrection of Jesus.
If you've kept up with Clark at all, his comparison of Flacco being named starter to Jesus' resurrection should not come as a shock. This is the same man who, in July, said former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III doesn't have the right to speak about black women because he's married to a white woman. Clark also didn't appreciate Sage Steele being a believer in free speech during the pandemic, and didn't show up to work one day because of it, according to the lawsuit Steele filed and eventually settled with ESPN.
In the grand scheme of things, Clark using Jesus' resurrection as an analogy about a quarterback being named a starter, is on par with things he's said and done in the past, but it doesn't make it any less ridiculous.
The strange moment occurred during ESPN's ‘Monday Night Countdown’ as Adam Schefter and Clark were discussing the news.
"I’m gonna tell you what, man," Clark said. "Joe Flacco must have the faith of a mustard seed, right? Because this is the greatest resurrection since Jesus the Christ. Like, at some point, Joe Flacco was thinking about getting into TV, right? Joe Flacco didn’t have a job. And then, now, you not only coming back and starting for the Cleveland Browns late in the 2023 season, but they came back around to you and you’re now the day one starter for a franchise that just two years ago was in the playoffs."
Folks on social media reacted accordingly to Clark's attempt at producing an eye-catching take, when all he did was look foolish.
Things simply fell into place for Flacco to be named the starter in Cleveland ahead of Week 1. As Schefter explained during the segment, the Browns were not going to hand the keys over to rookies Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel, and Kenny Pickett has been limited while nursing a hamstring injury.