Usually, NFL offseason headlines are all about minicamps and schedule talk. Some drama, sure. However, as we ease into the 2025 NFL offseason, the discourse has shifted to what kicked off WNBA Week 1. Which got a bit out of hand due to an unexpected and increasingly personal feud between two former NFL players, Ryan Clark and Robert Griffin III.
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The issues between the duo began as a disagreement over commentary about Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’s clash. The former Commanders QB—reacting to Clark’s flagrant one foul on Reese in the WNBA season opener and a brief outburst from Reese over that foul—posted a video and commentary accusing Reese of harboring jealousy and hate toward her rival.
“Angel Reese hates Caitlin Clark,” he wrote, linking it to “the complex racial history of America” and the “stereotypes of the angry or jealous Black woman.” The post also included a clip from his podcast, Outta Pocket with RGIII, and featured his wife, Grete Šadeiko, appearing in the background.
Reacting to RGIII’s rant, Clark launched a scathing response. In an episode of The Pivot podcast, the former Steelers safety argued that Griffin was playing into a tired and harmful narrative.
“RGIII plays into the narrative that Reese is the villain of Clark’s origin story,” he said before dropping the line that drew the most attention:
“Add him to the list of Black men who’ve adopted the corny trend of denigrating Black women to affirm their choices.” The matter escalated unexpectedly after that, as Clark went on to make more personal remarks, specifically targeting Griffin’s relationships.
“In both of your marriages, you’ve been married to white women,” said the former Steeler, as he went on to recount Griffin’s past comments at ESPN, even saying that Griffin used to make “corny” jokes about his Estonian wife, seemingly implying that RGIII made her race a personality trait.
Unsurprisingly, Clark’s comment about Griffin’s household, marriages, and motives sparked a fiery response from the latter. The former Commanders star fired back, calling Ryan Clark’s take “cowardly, spineless, and weak,” as he accused the ESPN analyst of “weaponizing” his family to win a sports argument.
But then came the twist… which the internet noticed. Last night, Ryan Clark took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a post, introducing his biracial daughter to the world.
“This is my firstborn, Jaden. My God, she’s beautiful. All of her!” he wrote in the caption, describing their close bond, and expressing gratefulness for her being “a perfect part of my God given experience.”
But then came the line that sparked flares: “Maybe, the news in light of this week is that she’s biracial. So? She is a perfect part of my God given experience, & the sum of those experiences make me who I am!,” Clark wrote.
I didn’t know this was news, but since other people want to talk about her… This is my first born Jaden. My God she’s beautiful. All of her!
I fell in love with her the first time I ever saw her, & I’ve loved her every day since. We grew up together. We cried together,… pic.twitter.com/QnmpLTkdKH
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) May 21, 2025
The timing wasn’t lost on fans, and neither was the irony that they felt. Within minutes, replies flooded in, pointing out the contradiction. “So by your own logic, if you had married your daughter’s mom, you wouldn’t be able to comment on Angel Reese,” radio host Clay Travis wrote. “Congrats, you played yourself.”
Another added bluntly: “This negates your original point, which was already weak.”
Others didn’t hold back either. “Idiots always expose themselves without even knowing it,” one user said. Meanwhile, a fan even called it “one of the dumbest unforced self-owns in celebrity history.”
For critics, the issue seemingly wasn’t about Ryan Clark’s love for his daughter — it was the fact that he had used RGIII’s interracial marriage as the basis for discrediting his commentary, before revealing that his own daughter is biracial when under scrutiny. For fans, it felt like a double standard, for it undermined the moral high ground Clark initially stood on.
And while both Clark and Griffin have carved out respected careers as football analysts, this exchange veered far from the realm of sport. It started as a disagreement about WNBA narratives.
But eventually, it became a pointed debate about race, authenticity, and personal identity — one that’s left many fans questioning where the line is between calling out injustice and simply scoring points in a public spat.
