“You Are Going Backward in Life”: Asante Samuel Calls Out Ryan Clark After Heated Debate With Deion Sanders

Who is the best quarterback in NFL history? For now, the clear answer is Tom Brady. At wide receiver, Jerry Rice is in his own stratosphere. Most people believe the same about Deion Sanders as a cornerback. But one of the best corners of the 21st century vehemently disagrees.

Asante Samuel has never lacked confidence. He recently set social media ablaze demonstrating it. Last week, he posted some of his career accomplishments alongside Sanders’ accolades on X. He then proclaimed he was a better cornerback than Sanders.

Samuel’s post, naturally, attracted a lot of attention. Ryan Clark was one of many notable personalities to respond. The ESPN analyst stated on The Pivot that Samuel comparing himself to Sanders was like “throwing rocks at tanks”. Samuel, of course, didn’t appreciate Clark dismissing his case.

On his Say What Needs To Be Said podcast, Samuel labeled Clark’s “disrespect” as “insane”. He then took shots at the man himself and his career at ESPN. In his opinion, the former safety is no longer the high-level analyst he used to be.

“Mr. Ryan Clark, you make sure you look at me and you look at me good… Pay attention to what I’m about to tell you… Mr. Ryan Clark, you’re losing talent, brother,” said Samuel.

“You were once a talented young man up there. But you [are] absolutely losing that talent… You used to do a good job. Now you [are] going backward in life. The life of a media personality,” added the former New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles CB.

No matter what potential critics say, Samuel is going to stand his ground. That’s admirable and respectable. But to some, it’s also delusional. Ryan Clark was far from the lone wolf who found humor in Samuel’s audacious words. He had an entire pack with him.

Shannon Sharpe, who worked as a studio analyst for CBS throughout Samuel’s career, may be the leader of that group. The NFL Hall of Famer gave Samuel’s argument no credence. He confessed that Samuel, to him, doesn’t belong in any discussion involving Sanders.

Sanders chimed in on Samuel’s take as well. He said people should “stop comparing a monument to a darn moment”. Loyal Dallas Cowboys fan Skip Bayless unsurprisingly backed Sanders in the confrontation.

Samuel has more people bashing him than supporting him in his quest to be labeled a better player than Sanders. And that isn’t shocking. One Twitter/X user may have summed up the collective thoughts of Samuel’s detractors more appropriately than anyone.

Samuel had a distinguished NFL career. He made four Pro Bowls and had one first-team All-Pro selection. But Sanders appeared in eight Pro Bowls, earned first-team All-Pro status six times, and won the 1994 Defensive Player of the Year award.

There are levels to the game beyond interceptions. And Sanders, until further notice, is at the top.