Ryan Clark laments ‘liars’ as sports media’s biggest problem

Ryan Clark has had a knack for grabbing headlines lately, and not always for the right reasons.

For a stretch this month, he was sports media. He took a swipe at Robert Griffin III, suggesting RGIII’s marriage disqualifies him from understanding what Black women like Angel Reese go through. That spiraled into a mess of apologies, first to Grete Griffin, then to his own family.

Then came the Bill Belichick interview, and it only got more awkward as the days went on. Clark’s sit-down with the North Carolina head football coach raised eyebrows from the get-go but only spiraled into something else when Channing Crowder claimed that Jordon Hudson was heavily involved in the exclusive interview on The Pivot.

Crowder later walked it back and apologized, but the toothpaste was already out of the tube. Since then, Clark’s been doing damage control, trying to steady a story that keeps slipping out of his hands.

In an effort to steady the narrative, Clark sat down with Complex for a wide-ranging interview. When asked by chief content officer Noah Callahan-Bever what he sees as the biggest problem in sports media right now, Clark didn’t hesitate to point a finger in a certain direction.

“Liars.”

“Well, I think it’s now become this race to be first, right? It’s not necessarily that people are intentionally lying,” Clark explained. “It’s that in the race to be first, you aren’t fact-checking. In the race to be first, you aren’t making sure what your idea is, what your opinion is, whatever you’re being asked to share is the truth. And it’s the other side of the people not being accountable.

“When we’re wrong or when we give information to the public that doesn’t represent the truth, doesn’t represent the facts, it’s our job to tell people that. But, you’re scared to tell people that, and people are scared to admit those things, because now does it devalue my opinion? Or in some ways does it invalidate my experience, or what I’m supposed to be doing for my job?”

It’s a fair critique. But given Clark’s recent headline run, from the RGIII saga to the Belichick interview fallout, it’s also kind of ironic. Lately, he’s been caught on both sides of the very problem he’s describing.

And to be clear, Clark isn’t afraid of the work. He credits that mindset to his playing days — the film study, the grind, the obsession with preparation. He has the competitive edge. But what he doesn’t have is a burning passion for television. He’s honest about that.

Early in his media career, it wasn’t that the job was hard. It’s that it didn’t excite him. He didn’t love being on TV. He didn’t crave the spotlight.

“I didn’t have a great reason for getting up and doing it,” he told Callahan-Bever. “I told this story, maybe once, Stephen A. [Smith] was asked years ago, ‘Who are the next Stephen A.’s?’ or ‘Who are the athletes who will be the next guys?’ And he didn’t mention me. I was the first player to ever have a TV contract. I was the first active player to ever work in TV. And I was like, well, naturally that’s my trajectory. That’s what I’m supposed to be on, because in this way I’m a trendsetter, but you said those two dudes? Alright bet. Gotchu. I’ll show you.”

Clark discusses the growing issue of dishonesty in sports media. Everyone’s chasing clout these days, cutting corners, and rushing to break news before they’ve got their facts straight. Clark is right to call that out. But there’s a bit of irony too. He’s found himself smack in the middle of that same chaotic cycle.

At the same, there’s something uniquely Clark about it all. He’s brutally competitive, allergic to being overlooked, and driven less by fame than by the feeling of being underestimated. He doesn’t want to be a TV star, but if he’s going to show up, he’s going to win.

And he always has to have the last word.