“I Didn’t Attack Your Wife”: Ryan Clark Tells Robert Griffin III Amid Debate Over Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese

The world of sports is up in arms once again this week following Caitlin Clark’s take foul on Angel Reese. While the foul itself is a relatively common one on the basketball court, the conversation surrounding its implications is anything but.

Unfortunately, the conversation surrounding Clark and Reese’s rivalry often extends into racial politics more so than basketball, a realm that the former Pittsburgh Steeler, Ryan Clark, has been keen on venturing into himself in recent years.

In light of Robert Griffin III’s suggestion that he “knows hate when he sees it” while speaking on Reese’s reaction to the foul, Clark is now claiming that Griffin’s comments are more of a dog whistle for racism than anything else. According to Clark, Griffin’s words were “irresponsible” ones that ultimately “echo the microaggressions of racists.”

In noting that the conversation surrounding Clark and Reese is a rather complex one, the former Steeler also suggested that Griffin is patently unaware of the struggles that African-American women often endure. Clark cited Griffin’s marriage to a white woman as being one of the main contributing factors to his “ignorance.”

The former Washington quarterback did not appreciate having the ethnicity of his wife used as a talking point against him. In a lengthy rebuttal that was posted on X, Griffin made sure to clarify that he felt as that Clark had crossed a line.

The 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year, who has recently advocated for the removal of politics and race debates from sports media, finalized his statement by suggesting that,

“There should be no space in Sports Media for personal attacks… Ryan Clark personally attacking me and my family personally over a sports opinion is a bad look for ESPN and for him as a man.”

To the surprise of no one, Clark has since responded, this time choosing to focus on the lack of quality that accompanied Griffin throughout his various appearances on television with his previous employer, ESPN. Going as far as to label Griffin as a “corny” and “phony” personality who intentionally makes inciteful comments, the former Super Bowl champion insisted, “I didn’t attack your wife. I spoke on what you do on social media and TV.”

Despite Clark’s attempt to clarify that his comments were solely aimed at Griffin and his lack of understanding, fans were quick to react, with many of them seemingly in support of the former quarterback.

Others found themselves thanking Clark, believing that he took his initial stance in an attempt to stand up for African-American women.

However, given the controversial nature of the topic at hand, in addition to the fact that Clark routinely participates in conversations of this nature, many fans are now calling for ESPN to do the same to Clark as they did to Griffin in the fall of 2024.

While the conversation itself is indicative of a greater, more divisive issue in modern-day America, it’s abundantly clear that both Griffin and Clark have much deeper issues with one another. Until the two of them are able to sit down together and hash things out in person, the online drama is, for better or worse, destined to continue.