Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
If you’ve spent any time on the internet the past few days then you’re at least a little bit aware of a racially loaded back-and-forth text and video exchange between former players (and former teammates) turned sports analysts, Robert Griffin III (RGIII) and Ryan Clark. What all started as a response to a haterific tweet from RGIII against Angel Reese, turned into a discussion about white wives, jobs at ESPN, and the implication that everybody thinks RGIII is corny. Ryan Clark and RGIII might have some simmering bad blood that dates back to the one season they played together for the Washington Commanders (at the time they were the Redskins) in 2014.
Their exchange started all types of conversations about both men individually and the points made by each: can a Black man with a white man truly understand the plight of Angel Reese? And did Ryan Clark go too far by invoking RGIII’s white wife to invalidate RGIII’s opinions about Reese? The big question is how we got here and what’s happened so far.
Here’s a timeline of the recent happenings and some context.
Caitlin Clark’s flagrant foul against Angel Reese in the WNBA season opener for the Clark’s Indiana Fever and Reese’s Chicago Sky
In the third quarter of the WNBA season opener for both teams on Saturday, May 17, Caitlin Clark gave a hard foul to Angel Reese. Reese, clearly annoyed by the foul rushed Clark but was separated by Clark’s teammate, Aliyah Boston. Clark received a flagrant-1 foul and both Reese and Boston were issued technical fouls. After the game, both players were asked about it. Angel Reese said, “Basketball play. Refs got it right. Move on.” Clark said, “It’s just a good take foul. Either Angel gets (a) wide-open two points or we send them to the free throw line. Nothing malicious about it. Every basketball player knows that.”
If only it were that simple. Clark and Reese have been pitted against each other since their college days at Iowa and LSU, respectively. In her senior season, Clark, who was viewed as a female Steph Curry for her 3-point range and scoring ability (and who is white) became a media darling and “great White hope,” while Reese’s LSU teams were often villainized and mocked. It didn’t take much to infer why the two were treated so differently.
Despite losing to both LSU in 2023’s NCAA women’s championship game and then South Carolina in 2024’s NCAA championship game, the media narrative centered Clark, much to the dismay of many who watched basketball. While Clark was and is a draw, she was turned into a hero for the WNBA and Reese, whose outspoken style ran counter to Clark’s “basketball approach” was often maligned. The racial dynamics were hard to ignore, and the racial undertones underscore all of their interactions.
RGIII’s tweet insinuating that Reese’s reaction to Clark’s hard foul proves that Reese hates Clark
RGIII poured fuel on a fire with a clickbait tweet that I’m sure made Skip Bayless jealous when he wrote, “After watching Caitlin Clark’s flagrant foul on Angel Reese and the aftermath, there is no way Angel Reese can continue the lie that she doesn’t dislike Caitlin Clark. I know what hatred looks like. Angel Reese HATES Caitlin Clark. Not some basketball rivalry hate either. Hate.”
Instead of pointing out the person who committed the hard foul first, RGIII focused on Reese’s reaction, a common reaction in basketball. Folks get fouled hard and respond. And then everybody moves on, which happened. But RGIII decided that Reese hates Clark because he knows what hatred looks like, making sure to emphasize it by writing “HATE” in capital letters. This take was basically a racist dog whistle supplied by RGIII, giving license to some vile hateful takes in response.
This tweet, from sports journalist Chuck Modiano, pretty much sums it up.
“Not merely a bad take. Given who you are—it’s journalistic malpractice (even if just a tweet). If you missed last year, you’d know there is a sizable racist delusional Caitlin Mob that has produced endless hate & DEATH THREATS to Angel. And YOU are pouring gasoline on all that. Feeding a monster.”
Facts.
RGIII drops an anti-Reese video with his wife in the background
Since one bad take deserves more ammunition, RGIII then recorded a video where he doubled and tripled down on his take and included a caption that included words like jealousy and resentment (to note, Reese has won more than Clark has thus far – which RGIII acknowledged). RGIII seemed intent on proving that Reese is upset about Clark’s celebrity and praise – something that, again, has a tremendous amount of racial undertones attached to it.
Not for nothing (but also it’s kind of the point Clark would go on to make), RGIII essentially pointing out how this Black woman hates this white woman with his white wife in the background was terrible optics.
Ryan Clark responds via his “The Pivot Podcast” platform
ESPN analyst and media personality, Ryan Clark, has become a lot more visible and vocal over the past few years as more than just a sports guy. He’s weighed in heavily on social issues and spoke openly and honestly via his podcast, “The Pivot,” about any number of topics, and has started to become a voice of note.
In response to RGIII’s tweet, Clark let off some damning shots at his former teammate, insinuating that not only was it a bad take, but because RGIII has married not one, but two, white women that he really isn’t in any position to speak on the mindstate of Reese, nor could he appreciate what it must be like to be her. He also pointed out that while RGIII’s take was irresponsible, it’s not surprising, which I think anybody who watches RGIII’s sports analysis would agree with.
RGIII takes offense and thinks Ryan is a horrible person and speaking about his wife is out of bounds
RGIII believes that Ryan Clark crossed the line bringing his wife into the conversation and assuming that RGIII couldn’t understand the plight of a Black woman like Reese because of who he chooses to love and marry. He also implied that ESPN needs to take action and/or suspend Clark for crossing the line RGIII believes Clark overstepped. Here are a few of his lines in the post on X accompanied by a video worth watching.
“Ryan Clark said I don’t understand the struggles of Black women because I’m married to a white woman. That’s wrong and way out of bounds … He claimed that I’m not having conversations about the struggles of Black women in my own home because my wife is white. That’s wrong and way out of bounds.”
For what it’s worth, there’s a clear racial divide on who RGIII’s sympathizers are and who those co-signs come from.
Ryan Clark fires back calling RGIII one of the worst teammates he’s ever had
In a response to RGIII’s video, Ryan Clark let off a clip of bars about how, pretty much, he can’t stand RGIII, on the field and off it. I’m guessing there is very little love lost between the two men at this point.
“You’re a phony bro. One of the worst teammates I ever had both on the field and in TV.” I would imagine that Clark was playing “Not Like Us” as he wrote this last post.
In another X post, he pointed out that he’s not trippin’ on any of it, by the way.
Emmanuel Acho chimes in because…why not
Emmanuel Acho, another former NFL player turned sports analyst who has also run afoul of the Black community, decided to chime in. He took some time out of his day to point out that nobody is winning in this situation because it boils down to a Black woman being attacked by a Black man who is then attacked by another Black man.
What comes next in this saga, we’ll have to wait and see but something tells me, it’s far from over.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).
