Kyle Brandt gives ‘special shout-out to the non-players’ after Peter Schrager-Ryan Clark fiasco

Peter Schrager’s defenders are making themselves heard.

After the new ESPN NFL analyst found himself on the receiving end of a bizarre on-air tongue lashing by his colleague Ryan Clark in which the former safety suggested Schrager’s lack of playing experience disqualified him from providing NFL analysis, Schrager’s allies in the media have been vocal. And on Sunday’s episode of NFL GameDay Morning, Kyle Brandt, a longtime co-host with Schrager on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football, was the latest to defend the ability of non-football players to analyze the game.

“And a special shout-out to the non-players today. We see you, we respect you, on our set, and on several others,” Brandt said in a clear reference to Clark’s on-air comments against Schrager last week. Good Morning Football host Jamie Erdahl concurred, supporting Brandt’s comments on social media.

Erdahl also defended Schrager in the immediate aftermath of the incident last week, saying she “learned something about the NFL from [him] every single day.”

Clark’s remarks have widely been characterized as foolish as there are a numerous widely respected analysts covering the NFL that have never played a down of football. Kyle Brandt falls into that category himself. Clark later apologized for targeting Schrager after his comments went viral, saying, “I have apologized to Peter and taken accountability with ESPN leadership. I value working with Peter and look forward to this season. My focus will remain on professionalism, teamwork, and being a better teammate moving forward.”

Still, the incident added to a pattern of behavior from Clark in which he has frequently found himself in the middle of public disputes with others in sports media.