Stephen A, Ryan Clark Don’t Want White People to Commenting On Players Throwing Helmets

ESPN hosts Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Clark don’t want to hear white people talking about NFL players swinging their helmets at each other.

On “First Take” Friday, Smith and Clark took issue with former NFL player Geoff Schwartz calling for the suspension of Aaron Donald, who swung two helmets at Bengals players in a joint practice this week.

It’s not so much that Smith and Clark have an issue with the suspension talk, it’s that a white person said so.

Clark, the crybully who refused to work with Sage Steele because her politics weren’t like his, began:

“I saw what [white guy] Geoff (Schwartz) tweeted yesterday. We start getting into where [white guy]  Adam Schefter is saying ‘assault,’ where all of these people are saying these things are criminal. To me, that puts these players in a position where you’re making them or you’re putting them in a category with people that rob, with people that steal, with people that assault, with people that commit domestic violence. And we have to be very careful when we start to toe that line.”

Here’s Schwartz’s tweet: 

Fights happen. We know that and accept it. However, swinging a helmet is out of control and dangerous. He should be suspended https://t.co/5wVA7yeCPN

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) August 25, 2022

Smith responded by saying whites talking about Donald might just be racist:

“When you got white analysts talking that way and using that language about black dudes, that’s another level. And that’s why I appreciate RC bringing that up. I’m not accusing any analyst of racism or anything like that, I’m just telling them how we take it. Now what I want to do, if I’m looking at whoever sent that tweet out, I forgot his name, it was Schwartz or whomever, but it doesn’t matter. Whoever sent that tweet out and whoever thinks like that, now I want to see if you say that about the white dude that does it. Because if I don’t hear the same verbiage, if I don’t hear the same language if something like that happens with somebody white, now I’m looking at you with a raised eyebrow and saying, ‘what the hell you trying to say?’”

Smith says he isn’t accusing white people of racism, but then challenges white people to prove they are not racist. Got that?

A white person being racist is the default view of Stephen A. Smith, as he often proves in his commentary.

To recap: Donald could have seriously injured someone or worse by swinging a large, hard object at their heads. But because he’s black, Smith and Clark declared that the public should discredit the opinion of white people.

#WhiteOpinionsDontMatter at Stephen A’s ESPN. Unless they are super woke, like Sarah Spain. Her opinions, such as saying religion is “bullshit,” matter.

When you see a player swing a helmet at another, one ought to be able to call it both dangerous and violent without someone at ESPN hinting they are racist.

Clark also took issue with his colleague Adam Schefter for calling helmet-swinging “assault.” This refers to a 2019 incident in which Myles Garrett, a black player, swung his helmet at Mason Rudolph, a white player.

Garrett could have killed Rudolph with the force he swung his helmet, yet ESPN didn’t want to portray it as such and still doesn’t. Immediately following the swing, an ESPN NFL reporter implied that Rudolph must have said something racist to Garrett, justifying him committing an act of violence.

ESPN NFL reporter immediately Tweets defense of Myles Garrett, implies Mason Rudolph said something racist. Deletes it. pic.twitter.com/VPMluuq7E5

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) November 15, 2019

Per ESPN: if a black player swings a helmet at a white player, the public shall assume the white player said something racist. If a black player swings a helmet at a black player, white people shall not have a comment.

Either way, ESPN will make the story about race. Especially Clark  — who threatened Chris Russo on set for “yelling at him” as a white man — and Smith.

“Stop screaming at me, bruh,” Clark told Russo for jokingly screaming at him.  “That’s the last time,” he warned. “The last time,” he warned again.

What’s ironic is that Smith frequently takes issue with white people criticizing black athletes, yet he devotes segments on his show to belittling white people, calling them pampered and racist.

Moreover, Smith rarely allows white people on the show to defend themselves after he calls them racist. Smith and Clark could have invited Geoff Schwartz on “First Take” to defend his position before suggesting his tweet had racial undertones. They didn’t.

In fact, “First Take” has had nine analysts on the show in the past two days, all of whom are black. For a show that talks sooooo much about diversity, diversity is a non-factor on “First Take.”

Everything at ESPN is about race, from the hosts the network allows on, to the players they criticize, to players they protect.

Stephen A. Smith and Ryan Clark often levy accusations of “white privilege” yet they are among the most privileged hosts on television.

Imagine having the ability to go on national TV to suggest a person’s opinion on a topic is racist because they were born with a certain skin color, and not receive an ounce of pushback from anyone on set or behind the scenes.

Smith is not the independent voice he claims. He’s a race-baiter rising the ranks at ESPN.

At the risk of Smith and Clark getting upset: no player, black or white, should swing a helmet at someone else, black or white. And everyone, black or white, should be able to say so.

Disgusting commentary on ESPN.