Mina Kimes goes to bat for Ryan Clark after player vs. non-player argument

A couple of weeks back, ESPN’s Ryan Clark blew up sports fans’ group chats and social feeds when he crossed an unspoken line and called out the credibility of his colleague, Peter Schrager, for not having played in the NFL. As a result, Clark has been a target of online criticism in the weeks since.

Clark’s NFL Live co-host, Mina Kimes, shared some positive thoughts about her colleague when asked about her opinion on the recent noise.

The conversation during Kimes’s appearance on the SI Media podcast began when host Jimmy Traina asked Kimes if she would someday like to transition to the broadcast booth. Kimes notably calls Los Angeles Rams preseason games and auditioned to be the anchor of the ManningCast several years ago.

Responding to Traina’s assertion that a female analyst calling an NFL game might not happen in his lifetime, Traina referenced the belief held by many fans that the analyst role in the booth should be exclusive to someone who played or coached football, a belief he did not personally have. Traina also made brief mention of recent Ryan Clark controversy on Get Up!, which prompted Kimes to weigh in.

“I’ll tell you who doesn’t think (you have to be a former player to analyze the NFL), is Ryan Clark,” Kimes said.

“Because he has been probably one of my biggest advocates since I started doing this job. And people always ask me, is it hard because of your gender, and I say, yeah maybe because of fans. But so much of my career I attribute to the former players, especially the main guys on NFL Live that I work with, because they have done such a fantastic job. Not just behind the scenes, we have so many conversations about football, I can send them clips and they can answer questions. But on camera too, if you ever watch a show, they sell me, frankly, to our viewers in a way that I believe has been instrumental in me doing the job I do.”

Kimes also added that she prefers the “fun” and the camaraderie of working on studio shows. A big part of the joy she has found on NFL Live and other ESPN shows comes from the way the former NFL athletes on these shows have embraced and supported her, especially Clark.

The incident between Clark and Schrager blew over relatively quickly. While many around the industry chastised Clark from afar for the clear breach of professionalism, he and Schrager made up publicly with little fanfare. Clark posted an apology online within hours, and by their next workday, the two were on set together for Monday Night Countdown, fist-bumping in a show of unity.

Both men are integral to ESPN’s NFL coverage and frequently appear together on-air. Clearly, Clark got over his skis during the Get Up segment and may not have built up trust yet with Schrager to navigate that tense moment. But as Kimes tells it, Clark is a major advocate for analysts from all walks of life at the Worldwide Leader.