December 22, 2024 • 31 mins
Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
My next guest made headlines recently as he and Jet's
quarterback Aaron Rodgers have exchanged critical takes on each.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Other this past week.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
He's a super Bowl champion, he's a TV analyst, a
host of the award winning The Pivot podcast, and he's
my brother.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
The one and only Ryan Clark is in the house
right here. What's going on? Big time? How you doing man?
How's everything?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
What's up? My guy? Listen?
Speaker 4 (00:26):
I'm out here in South Bend, Man just getting ready
for the college playoff game. But you know, when your
brother highlan At you needed to get you on the show,
you show up.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Damn right.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I appreciate that because I would have got on you
if you avoided me, because I understand because this is
going out there. Know the Dames get ready to go
to against Indiana. Your son Jordan plays for Notre Dame.
We'll get into that in just a second. But before
I do any of that, I want to start off
by reminding the audience why I asked you to come
on here today. Earlier this week on the Pat McAfee show,
(00:54):
the One and Only Aaron Rodgers had this to say,
referring to you listen up, say.
Speaker 5 (00:59):
Whatever the fuck you about me. I don't care, but
just before you do it, whether you state your name,
your accolades, pronouns, whatever it is, just state your vacked
status so that anything you say afterwards gets put in
the right light. Just get it out there, because then
(01:19):
when you say things about me, people can at least
be like, oh, you are captured by the multi billion
dollar propaganda siha, and you're still upset about Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
This will help things. Yeah, this is good, this will
settle it all done. I appreciate that.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
And uh, hey, you know what I mean. Just put
that in the just so everybody knows where you're coming from.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
You gave a four minute response over social media. I
played half of that here the other day. As we
sit here today reflecting on what you said about Amaron.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Rodgers, talk about why you felt the need.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
To respond to what he had to say and what
kind of message you wanted to send everybody.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Yeah, I think the first thing, steven A, and you
know it like I do. When we talked about that
on first Take that day, it was really the first
time i'd actually heard what he.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Said on Pat McAfee.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
And when you mentioned our network ESPN while being on
our network ESPN and many of my colleagues that are
former players.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Then I feel like I have the right to respond.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
And you know, he addressed me during that PSA on
Pat McAfee. He never used my name, but he mentioned
obviously the lapel pen with my initials. And I think
the part that rubbed me in a way where I
felt like I had to respond was the whole vaccination thing,
because I feel like he uses that to get those
(02:46):
people who are of like mind when it comes to
whether it's back vaccination, partisanship, whatever that is, to try
to ignore the facts. The facts were that what he
said was hip critical. The facts were that he has
an issue with people talking about his play in a
negative way when that's what the film is telling us.
(03:08):
And you know it like I know it, stephen A.
I've said a million times to you on your show.
I think he's the best quarterback I've ever played against.
But that doesn't in any way negate what we're seeing
from him now. And then the arrogance, the smugness, the
entitlement he displays as a person when it comes to
people who object or people who see things differently than him.
(03:31):
I mean, I'm just tired of it, and I'm tired
of people allowing him to say whatever the hell he
wants to say whenever the hell he wants to say
it without in any way pushing back. And so if
you can come for me and my colleagues, I can respond,
and I have no issue standing ten toes down on
whatever I say.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
It was hard for me to, you know, push back
on his right to clap at you orc not about
his game, but when we won on first take that day.
You know, you're very highly intelligent, brother, You're very selective
with your words. You know exactly what you're saying, you know,
and you mean what the hell you say?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
And you called him a fraud, And.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
I want you to explain, expound on why did you
feel the need to go to that length. And based
on you saying that, do you feel like that gave
him the right to respond to you the way that
he did?
Speaker 4 (04:20):
One first off, he absolutely has a right to respond
to me in any way that he wants to. Is
he a grown man, stephen A. And you know, like
if you feel some type of way, like you get
to say it the same way I get to respond
to him.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Now, what's different about us is.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
The things that I say about him will be viewed
from a professional perspective, Right, I am an NFL analyst,
and so in responding to Aaron Rodgers, I need to
be able to respond with facts. I need to be
able to respond with things that are true. I can't
just come out and insult his fashion. I can't just
come out and say things that make zero sense, like
(05:00):
your vaccination status, Right, I can't.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I don't get to do that. I have to be factual.
I have to be to the point. I have to
be clear.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
And so, yeah, like if I call him a fraud,
he can respond to that. But you are a fraud
if you're sitting on ESPN being paid by Pat McAfee,
who later admitted that he pays him because of what
having Aaron Rodgers on his show does for him. I
was in no way, I ain't no way got a
problem with that. But to call out former players while
(05:30):
on a former players show, Yes, that makes you a
fraud to me. To secondly come back and say that
you got to state your vaccination status, because your vaccination
status tells me what perspective and point.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Of view I view Aaron Rodgers from.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Like, that's bullcrap, like it's absolutely you know, Like that's
not why I feel anyway about him. Kirk Cousins, who
was extremely honest about his vaccination status and staid that
he would not receive the vaccine, is one of the
more well liked players in all the NFL.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Is a player that we all know and.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Respect for his honesty, for the way he approaches the game,
for the way he approaches people. He in no way
receives any of the criticism he receives for his play
based on that. Aaron Rodgers needs you to believe that,
because he needs us to believe that he's still the
same dude he always been. And the one thing that
(06:28):
I did in making sure I spoke about Aaron Rodgers
from an unbiased perspective was I included none of the stories.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
I know about him from people who have played with him,
people who have coached it.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I want you to start right there, because I see
you're too good looking, bro to be having the phone
cutting off half your head. I need you to remove it.
There you go, right there, right there. Now, we see it. Now,
we see you all your life. You don't have a
hell on the hide like I do. You don't have
the het of God, like I do it right. But
but listen, let me, let me get back to it,
because you brought up Aaron Rodgers in terms of you
(07:01):
didn't bring up some of the things that folks have
said about them. Let's get to the nuts and bolts
of it again. You played we I didn't. A lot
of folks that talk about it didn't. But you talk
about how you've spoken the players, You've spoken the coaches.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
You're inside those locker rooms.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
You work on Monday Night Countdown, okay, doing Monday Night
Football for ESPN, your NFL Live, a contributor, you contribute
to that show. First take, get Up. The list goes
on and on. Plus you got your own inside the
NFL show. All right, you talk to a lot of
people in the NFL. What are the stories about Aaron
Rodgers that would make somebody like you say he's a fraud?
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Like I'm you know, and I'm gonna do this, and
I'm gonna say that's truly out of respect for you.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Like those are those people's stories got to tell?
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Okay?
Speaker 4 (07:46):
And I don't want to do that because I think
it now opens up a different conversation between me and
Aaron Rodgers, which right now, which right now is him
saying things that are very superficial, very surface level, and
it's me continuing to do my job in a professional way.
(08:08):
And I don't have a personal issue with Aaron Rodgers.
And I also know that, like and you know me
well enough to know I probably moved differently than Aaron Rodgers.
I could say this to you. I reached out to
Pat McAfee because there were some parts of Aaron's you know,
sort of appearance on this show where you know, jealousy
(08:31):
was brought out, and you know, Aaron says at the end,
you know, there's a respect level, and that's why Pat
McAfee can get certain guests, and that was why end
my response to him, I listed the sort of people
I've set down with on the Pivot right.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
And so I think part of.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Part of the piece that made me call Aaron Rodgers
of fraud is his continual deflection of things that matter
in order to feed his fan base, right, in order.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
To get people who are like minded, people who.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Would want to rail against someone like me, to find
a way to get them to do it, you know,
to talk about like what my vax status is. I mean,
and you know to say that you looked it up.
The only thing I ever said about him was he
was deceitful. And of course, stephen A, I am vaccinated
because I don't have a spleed, I don't have a gallbladder.
My immune system is deficient. But I think, to tell
(09:35):
me what meeting you've been in right where we've said
before speaking about Aaron Rodgers, make sure we speak a
certain way because of his back status.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
That never happened.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
That's never happened.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
And so I think the other big piece for me
is to sit there with Pat McAfee and continue to behave.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
If you're somewhere in some way being railroaded.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
In some way, a narrative is being driven about you
outside of what the play is. It is fraudulent to
sit in front of the TV and pretend to build
up teams and teammates and then to behave in locker
rooms in ways I have been told he behaves.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Yeah, it makes you a fraud. Own it, Own who
you are. Own the times you've gone.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
To the front office to talk about players because they
aren't behaving in a way that you want them to.
And I think all of that to me is things
I don't.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Agree with with about Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
But as I said as well, also stories that are
supposed to be inside the locker room.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Ryan Clark, as a football analyst, tell us what we
have seen from Amaron Rodgers this year on the football field.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Compare yeah to what we're pasting to see.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
I mean, I think the first thing, Steven is we
should be seeing something different. He's a forty one year
old coming off of Achilles. We see how that has
hampered Kirk Cousins. But what we've seen as a slower
decision maker, what we've seen is a guy who's mispasses
that he normally and that we've seen him complete. We've
seen Aaron Rodgers be the reason the New York Jets
(11:21):
have lost football games.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
And all of those things are fair to say.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Is their defense missing pieces that has not made it
as good as it was in years Aaron Rodgers was there, Absolutely,
But Aaron Rodgers has gotten everything he's asked for. There,
stephen A, you wanted Devonte Adams, we got you Devonte Adams.
You needed Alan Lazard, we got you, Adam Lazar. Garrett
Wilson was a guy that had thousand yard seasons without you.
(11:47):
This is a team that was full, that was seven
to ten last year with Zach Wilson at the helm,
that has to win three of their games to equal
that win total, to equal that record. We've seen below
level play, and I think at some point, you know,
people are going to point to the stats. Right at
the end of the season. He may finish for close
(12:08):
to thirty tubs, he may finish at eight to ten interception,
and they're going to say, Okay, this is play you
can win with. But it's the twenty first QBR in all.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Of the league.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
And when you're behind, you get to throw the ball
as much as you freaking want to. And so I
just don't think that he's played at a level that
has elevated the New York Jets.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
And he also hasn't led at that level where you
see the.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
Frustration from Garrett Wilson on the sideline, When you see
Garrett Wilson and he having the training cap arguments that
they've been having.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
That's a problem.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
When you talk about Robert Salah being fired, part of
it is Aaron Rodgers play.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Part of it is also Aaron Rodgers leadership.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
It's Aaron Rodgers rhetoric, and to me, like, none of
those things beget a leader, especially with the experiences that
he's had in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Let me get a little person, know what you in
this regard when he talks about former players implying that
haven't done what he has done, I want to go
macro perspective and extend beyond Amaron Rodgers, because I'm quite
sure he's not the only player that feels that way
when receiving criticism over the airwaves. My attitude is this, Okay,
(13:21):
it's the media you get to say we never played.
It's pundits and commentators, et cetera. But in your case,
in a case of swagu our colleague Marcus Spears, the
Dan Alawski's, the Cam Newton's of the world, the Shannon
Sharps and various others that we're blessed to work with
every single week.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Right, y'all have all played. So it's like, how is
it as a.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Former player hearing a player say to you all, who
the hell are y'all?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
When you're actually one of them? I don't understand that.
How do you take that?
Speaker 3 (13:54):
I mean, isn't that part of the arrogance? Though? Stephen A.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Is it that part of the fraudulents that if you
aren't saying the things that he wants you to say, now,
let's compare resumes. Now, let's compare the things that we've
accomplished careers. And I get it right, it's a way
(14:20):
to deflect from what the true issues are. Like for me,
I'd say, hey, let's sit down and break down the field.
Then like you know, let's watch it. Let's watch you
throw the football inside to Mike Williams against the Minnesota
Vikings and lose that game. And then part of the
(14:41):
fraud piece for me, stephen A is calling Mike Williams
out after the Bills game for not running down the
red line. You tell me what leaders, what good quarterbacks
do that that throw their other players under the bus.
We watched this man do that, and that's part of
why I called him a fraud.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
And so to me, like.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Him calling out former players doesn't bother me. Right, it
goes along with his lack of accountability, It goes along
with his feeling that he is above reproach. And piece
of it is right and is that there are some
former analysts who won't call him out about certain things.
(15:26):
And so now, when I reply in the way I do,
or when I have the feelings I do, I'm the anomaly,
right Like I'm the guy that's wrong. I'm the guy
that has a problem with him, when now I'm just
a dude that feels a certain way. So I tell
my truths and so he can say all he wants
about us.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
I think what I found hypocritical about.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
It was that he was on the show with a
former player, with two former players, actually a show that
employs another former player in Darius Butler. And so I
think for me, it's bro, you're sitting up here getting
paid money by Pat McAfee to do the exact same
thing that you're railing against.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
And that's the bigger problem.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
From a macro perspective.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
You being the host of the Pivot, y'all been doing
a great, great job making major noise. Major props to
you guys as well, and your career especially. You've really
ascended and you deserve everything. Let me take that back.
You deserve more than you're getting.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
I'm gonna say. I'm just gonna say it.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
You deserve more than Okay, but I say this to
you as you look at the media landscape that you
are now a part of, and you analyze and witness
today's culture compared to what it used to be. How
concerned are you, maybe not for yourself, but for the
(16:51):
industry at large moving forward? Knowing that these athletes, it
seems their sensitivity level has heightened enormously, probably because of
the advent of social.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Media and yes, is coming from everywhere.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
How concerned are you about that having dare I say,
a negative effect on sports moving forward?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (17:11):
So, I think the biggest thing that happened, stephen A,
is that athletes will try to lessen the authenticity and
honesty of our voices. Right if you listen to the
way Aaron Rodgers attacked me in his second appearance on
(17:32):
Pat McAfee. He didn't attack my words, he didn't try
to attack any facts. What he tried to do was
win the emotional battle. He tried to discredit me by
saying there's no way that he's being honest about me
because he disagrees with my vaccination.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
Status, which I don't. I don't really care. It's your decision,
it's your body.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
But instead of saying, hey, Ryan Clark is wrong about
me being hypocritical because of X Y and z Ryan
Clark is wrong to call me arrogant because of x
Y and Z. Ryan Clark is wrong to call me
a fraud because.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Of x Y and Z.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
See, that is what athletes will do now, they won't
have to combat you with facts because, in truth, stephen A,
outside of people like you, maybe you know Shay Sharp,
the current athlete is more popular than I am.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
The current athlete is.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
More popular than swagou is, than Dana alovski is and
those sorts of former athletes. So I don't really have
to be truthful. I don't have to be factual. I
can use the emotion of the fan base I've built
based off of the skill in my sport. And I
felt like that's what Aaron Rodgers was trying to do.
But I'm not scared about what this means for media
(18:56):
because we all have to adapt, right, we all have
to adjust.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
I mean, look at yourself. You're the biggest name in
sports media, in linear.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
TV, and you're now creating this platform for yourself that's amazing,
created by you, controlled by you, because you do understand
the media landscapes and the way that it's changing.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
And I think that's what we all have to do.
We all have to be able to evolve.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
But I think even if you look at my four
minute response that I posted on social it gives me
an opportunity to take control of the narrative of self,
the narrative that's being painted of me.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
And you know, I appreciate those opportunities as well.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
How mindful and cognizant or should I say, how much
does it really affect you and how you go about
the business of doing your job on an everyday basis,
considering the growth and the maturation that has taking place
in you when you look at the pivot, you look
(19:57):
at ESPN. Listen, we have a voice. We always call
our c we always call. We want to hear what
you have to say. We want the audience to hear
what you have to say. You've been on me, You've
been on TV with me on several occasions, and there's
times that I could say something, I'm going like this, Now,
let him say it that, let him let him speak
(20:19):
on this. He's more qualified, because it's important that your
voice is heard. How mindful are you of that now
at this point in time in your career on a
personal level, then you were, say five years ago, ten
years ago.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
I'm very mindful of it, to be honest, Stevine A like,
I think about you often, you know, and I get
to talk about you a lot because everybody that's the
first thing I'm always asked, and always.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Like, man, how you how you deal with.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
That dude, and always tell him Nobody in that building
has stood up for me the way that you have.
Nobody in that building has advised me in that way
I said. He's taught me so much, whether it's by
actual advice or being able to watch. And I think
the thing that I've learned stephen A, is like, these
are the things we ask for by working hard, right.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
You want your voice to matter right. And what I've learned.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
Is the other side right, the people that push against
the things that we say. A lot of times, they
show me that I'm on the right path. They show
me that I'm where I want to be. And I
do get what I represent. I represent the next former
player who wants to be Ryan Clark, the next former
player who wants to have the platform that I do.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
And so that's important to me that I represent that
in the right way. But it's also important.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
To me that I stay authentic It's also important to
me that I remain myself, and I think that was
a big part of my second response to Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
And I can tell you this and share it with you.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
I had actually done something the day before afterwards, and
it was before Pat and I text message, and part
of it involved Pat, not in like a disrespectful way
in any way, because I have no issues with him,
but it talked about his show, the platform and you know,
him giving Aaron Rodgers the space to say those things.
(22:13):
And I didn't post that because I was like, nah,
as a man if and I have no issues. If
Pat and I have had these conversations, he doesn't need
to be involved in any way in this response. So
it can be skewed that we have a problem because
I recognize the power of my voice and the way
that people will try to attack and critique and pick
(22:35):
apart everything I do, and so I took you know,
I made sure to be smart about that. Also in
my response to Aaron Rodgers. I made sure my tone
was a professional tone. I made sure my words were
fact factual. I made sure I didn't insult him. I
thought about the first response on first take, and I said, well,
I feel like a lot of these things were taken
(22:57):
this way because of my wording right fraud eric it.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Let me be extremely careful.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
In how I do that and make sure that my
words are as poignant as possible, because I understand the
voice and like I worked for this, I earned this,
and I want to protect it as well.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
How much does your son, being a college player at
Notre Dame right now about to play the night by
the way I guess at Theiana win this game.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
How much does your son, knowing.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
He's in the sports world, he's a player, how much
does that affect how you speak and how you disseminate
messages to the masses.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Masses at this point in time.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
Do you know what's funny about it, stephen A, Is
when I didn't post the thing I recorded that involved Pat,
I was actually done right. I was like, Man, I'm
not gonna say nothing. I'm gonna let it go. I
couldn't go to sleep, stephen A, because I felt tried,
like I felt like he tried to play me, and
like I had no resolve, like I didn't speak for myself.
(24:01):
And I think that matters to me more when it
pertains to my son than what I say in the
media as it pertains to analyze in football. I want
him to know that we always have to worry about
the self respect. We always have to worry about the
last name. We always have to be concerned with the authenticity.
We always have to know that when we look at
(24:22):
ourselves in the mirror, we were true to who God
made us to be. And I think that that's the
most important thing for me and as far as him.
He has a podcast here called The Irish Scoop. And
I was walking down the hall last night and this
lady stopped me and she goes a white woman actually,
and she says, I love everything you do on TV,
(24:42):
and I one hundred percent agree with you on what
you said to Aaron Rodgers. And then the last thing
she told me was and I love your son's podcast,
you know, and like for me, man, that meant the
world to me, because you know, I've worked hard in
both careers and for him to be doing both of
the things that I've been able to feed my family
(25:03):
with and to be doing them at a high level
and to have people.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
Take recognition of that really is a blessing for it.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
You know, Listen, man, I mean I wanted to bring
you on the show because you're my brother. I love you,
and I know I will vouch for your integrity all day,
any day, any time of the week. And I knew
that you came across professionally and what have you.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
But you had to claim that because I know how
you roll. You ain't backing up for you nobody. I
know You've been there. I know this.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
I know this all right. But listen, man, before I
let you get on out of here. Since I got
you here, man, I need your help. I was gonna
do these quick takes by myself. I got a couple
of NFL games to get to you, and I got
a couple of college football games to get you. Oh,
by the way, I don't know if you know this.
You know I'm going to steal his Ravens game tomorrow.
You know I've been I've been invited. What side you're
sitting on, No, no, no, I've been invited as.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
A guest of the governor. What's more, I'm a personal
guest to go.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
So we rolled respect that we rolled into the game together.
You know, you know me, I'm going I'm not trying
to sit in on stands. I'm not trying to sit on.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
You said your owner's box at the Chargers games.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
This is true, and I'm not apologizing for it.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
And I'm gonna try to get as many of those
seasons I possibly can'tnot see. But let me ask you this,
I mean, are you gonna be a Benedict Arno or
remember you a Pittsburgh Steeler? That's where the Super Bowl was?
The Stealers the Ravens Saturday. Lamar Jackson can't beat the Steelers,
lost eight of the NAT nine last meetings against the
Stealers and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
What's gonna happen? Who's winning?
Speaker 3 (26:23):
You know what? I think the Ravens get this one.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
When I look at the way this team is played
down the stretch, they kind of short up some of
the things in the secondary.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
But what scares me.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Is no George Pickens. You know, look at this. Look
at this offense the last two weeks without him, no
explosive plays. Can't back defenders off of the offense. And
the other piece of it was when you go back
to the first game, Lamar Jackson had some opportunities to
use his legs and he didn't, And he said his
mom told him he had to stop that. And that
(26:57):
makes me scary because the called quarterback run worked when
you used against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And we all know
how electrifying Lamar could be when he gets outside the pocket,
and if he utilizes those things, it could be trouble.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Kan's City Chiefs, Texans.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
I got the I got the Chiefs even with Patrick
Mahons hobbled man. Patrick Mahons won a Super Bowl hobbled
steven A.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
I know, I know, and I will I will say this,
the Texans have a chance.
Speaker 4 (27:26):
They could turn the football over. What scares me is
there a protection of CJ.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Stroud.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
This offensive line just hasn't been good this year. I
think that's a big piece of why his numbers are down.
He started to rush a little bit, not the sort
of poise we saw from him last season. Even in
the win last week, they weren't explosive in the past game.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
So I believe the Kansas City Chiefs doing.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Uh, let's go to college football. Man, we're talking about
Indiana and not the Dame to night. I mean, I
know you gonna pick Notre Dame. That's just son.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
But the inclement, whether the snow.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
And all of that stuff you don't expect that to have.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
A negative effect in any way.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
No, I mean both of these teams can run the football.
Indiana is so precise with what they do with signetti
and the way that they use their quarterback offensively such
a system quarterback knows exactly where to go with it.
But we can run the football. Jeremiah Love and you'll
see it tonight.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Steven A.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
I think he should be an early Heisman favorite next year.
He's just a dude, explosive to score.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
In every game this season.
Speaker 4 (28:27):
Riley Leonard has continued to improve since that NIU game.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
I think this game is close.
Speaker 4 (28:32):
I believe it's low scoring, but I expect the defense
to make enough plays. Look for zero Xavier, watch the
best safety of football to come up with the turnover.
And I think this is a game. And we move
on to the Sugar Bowl January first against Georgia.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
How much how.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Much, I mean, how much do you work with your
son and how and how tricky does that get? Because sometimes,
I mean you might in other words, for us that
the average person out here doesn't play. You'll look at
You'll imagine a player are playing for a particular coach
and the coach telling the parents to stay away. Still
on the side, let me do this, But you can't
say that to when the dad's the god's father is
(29:09):
a Super Bowl champion.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Okay, that was in a secondary for crime out loud.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
So I've trained him stephen A since he was in
eighth grade. We were driving to school and he looks
at me. He goes, Dad, I want to play college ball,
and he's like, I want to play receiver. I was like, well, Pops,
can't really help you with that, Like I think you
should play receiver in high school too, but let's train DV.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
And so I've been doing it his entire career.
Speaker 4 (29:32):
I'm the only DV trainer he's ever had outside of
his coaches. I remember with grade every play from high
school football and give him his grade.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
We go through the tape. But now that he's in college,
I backed off. I'm not one of those dads that's
on the sidelines.
Speaker 4 (29:47):
I don't go to practice when parents aren't invited. I
don't stick my head into meetings like I don't do
that obviously. Coach Free and I have a good relationship,
like I text him each week and we talk about
just mindset of football, but we don't talk about Jordan.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Jordan has to control his own career.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Last question for you, Tennessee number nine at Ohio State.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
I have been of this mindset. I'm not in the.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Caller for people to get fired. I'm very selective with that. Okay,
you gotta really be bad. Ryan Day is not bad.
Sixty six to ten.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Career record for crying out loud.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
But he's lost four straight years to Michigan at the
Ohio State.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
And if he's not a part of the national championship.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Picture after having a twenty million dollar roster courtesy of
nil in the transfer potal, combined with the fact that
you had eleven players that were considered an NFL caliber.
Speaker 6 (30:37):
That returned to your guard this year, if you can't,
if you lose tomorrow night on ABC after losing the
Michigan for a fourth straight time, Ryan Clark, I don't
know how he could keep his job to that.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
You say, what, Yeah, I don't believe he can. Steven A.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
I think one, Ohio State's tired of losing to Michigan.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
Two. When you have the best roster money can buy,
you have to produce. Tennessee is a good.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
Team or sec team only two losses this year, but
Ryan Day and Ohio State Buck guys should win this game,
especially playing at home. I think if he does not
only win this game, but end up being in the
final four of the college football playoff picture, I think
Ryan Day will lose his job and there will be
(31:23):
another head coach at Ohio State University.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Ryan Clark, Man, appreciate your time wishing your son Jordan
good luck tonight against Indiana.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Know to Day, Thank you Indian.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Appreciate you taking time out of your business schedule to
come on and talk.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
To me and rap to me. Man, really appreciate all
the best to you.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
I'll see you so my may I love all right
and only Ryan Clark right here on the Stephen A.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Smith Show.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
You heard what he had to say, you can respond accordingly.
My next guest made headlines recently as he and Jet's
quarterback Aaron Rodgers have exchanged critical takes on each.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Other this past week.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
He's a super Bowl champion, he's a TV analyst, a
host of the award winning The Pivot podcast, and he's
my brother.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
The one and only Ryan Clark is in the house
right here. What's going on? Big time? How you doing man?
How's everything?
Speaker 3 (00:25):
What's up? My guy? Listen?
Speaker 4 (00:26):
I'm out here in South Bend, Man just getting ready
for the college playoff game. But you know, when your
brother highlan At you needed to get you on the show,
you show up.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Damn right.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
I appreciate that because I would have got on you
if you avoided me, because I understand because this is
going out there. Know the Dames get ready to go
to against Indiana. Your son Jordan plays for Notre Dame.
We'll get into that in just a second. But before
I do any of that, I want to start off
by reminding the audience why I asked you to come
on here today. Earlier this week on the Pat McAfee show,
(00:54):
the One and Only Aaron Rodgers had this to say,
referring to you listen up, say.
Speaker 5 (00:59):
Whatever the fuck you about me. I don't care, but
just before you do it, whether you state your name,
your accolades, pronouns, whatever it is, just state your vacked
status so that anything you say afterwards gets put in
the right light. Just get it out there, because then
(01:19):
when you say things about me, people can at least
be like, oh, you are captured by the multi billion
dollar propaganda siha, and you're still upset about Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
This will help things. Yeah, this is good, this will
settle it all done. I appreciate that.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
And uh, hey, you know what I mean. Just put
that in the just so everybody knows where you're coming from.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
You gave a four minute response over social media. I
played half of that here the other day. As we
sit here today reflecting on what you said about Amaron.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Rodgers, talk about why you felt the need.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
To respond to what he had to say and what
kind of message you wanted to send everybody.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Yeah, I think the first thing, steven A, and you
know it like I do. When we talked about that
on first Take that day, it was really the first
time i'd actually heard what he.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Said on Pat McAfee.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
And when you mentioned our network ESPN while being on
our network ESPN and many of my colleagues that are
former players.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Then I feel like I have the right to respond.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
And you know, he addressed me during that PSA on
Pat McAfee. He never used my name, but he mentioned
obviously the lapel pen with my initials. And I think
the part that rubbed me in a way where I
felt like I had to respond was the whole vaccination thing,
because I feel like he uses that to get those
(02:46):
people who are of like mind when it comes to
whether it's back vaccination, partisanship, whatever that is, to try
to ignore the facts. The facts were that what he
said was hip critical. The facts were that he has
an issue with people talking about his play in a
negative way when that's what the film is telling us.
(03:08):
And you know it like I know it, stephen A.
I've said a million times to you on your show.
I think he's the best quarterback I've ever played against.
But that doesn't in any way negate what we're seeing
from him now. And then the arrogance, the smugness, the
entitlement he displays as a person when it comes to
people who object or people who see things differently than him.
(03:31):
I mean, I'm just tired of it, and I'm tired
of people allowing him to say whatever the hell he
wants to say whenever the hell he wants to say
it without in any way pushing back. And so if
you can come for me and my colleagues, I can respond,
and I have no issue standing ten toes down on
whatever I say.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
It was hard for me to, you know, push back
on his right to clap at you orc not about
his game, but when we won on first take that day.
You know, you're very highly intelligent, brother, You're very selective
with your words. You know exactly what you're saying, you know,
and you mean what the hell you say?
Speaker 2 (04:06):
And you called him a fraud, And.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
I want you to explain, expound on why did you
feel the need to go to that length. And based
on you saying that, do you feel like that gave
him the right to respond to you the way that
he did?
Speaker 4 (04:20):
One first off, he absolutely has a right to respond
to me in any way that he wants to. Is
he a grown man, stephen A. And you know, like
if you feel some type of way, like you get
to say it the same way I get to respond
to him.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
Now, what's different about us is.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
The things that I say about him will be viewed
from a professional perspective, Right, I am an NFL analyst,
and so in responding to Aaron Rodgers, I need to
be able to respond with facts. I need to be
able to respond with things that are true. I can't
just come out and insult his fashion. I can't just
come out and say things that make zero sense, like
(05:00):
your vaccination status, Right, I can't.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I don't get to do that. I have to be factual.
I have to be to the point. I have to
be clear.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
And so, yeah, like if I call him a fraud,
he can respond to that. But you are a fraud
if you're sitting on ESPN being paid by Pat McAfee,
who later admitted that he pays him because of what
having Aaron Rodgers on his show does for him. I
was in no way, I ain't no way got a
problem with that. But to call out former players while
(05:30):
on a former players show, Yes, that makes you a
fraud to me. To secondly come back and say that
you got to state your vaccination status, because your vaccination
status tells me what perspective and point.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Of view I view Aaron Rodgers from.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Like, that's bullcrap, like it's absolutely you know, Like that's
not why I feel anyway about him. Kirk Cousins, who
was extremely honest about his vaccination status and staid that
he would not receive the vaccine, is one of the
more well liked players in all the NFL.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Is a player that we all know and.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
Respect for his honesty, for the way he approaches the game,
for the way he approaches people. He in no way
receives any of the criticism he receives for his play
based on that. Aaron Rodgers needs you to believe that,
because he needs us to believe that he's still the
same dude he always been. And the one thing that
(06:28):
I did in making sure I spoke about Aaron Rodgers
from an unbiased perspective was I included none of the stories.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
I know about him from people who have played with him,
people who have coached it.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
I want you to start right there, because I see
you're too good looking, bro to be having the phone
cutting off half your head. I need you to remove it.
There you go, right there, right there. Now, we see it. Now,
we see you all your life. You don't have a
hell on the hide like I do. You don't have
the het of God, like I do it right. But
but listen, let me, let me get back to it,
because you brought up Aaron Rodgers in terms of you
(07:01):
didn't bring up some of the things that folks have
said about them. Let's get to the nuts and bolts
of it again. You played we I didn't. A lot
of folks that talk about it didn't. But you talk
about how you've spoken the players, You've spoken the coaches.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
You're inside those locker rooms.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
You work on Monday Night Countdown, okay, doing Monday Night
Football for ESPN, your NFL Live, a contributor, you contribute
to that show. First take, get Up. The list goes
on and on. Plus you got your own inside the
NFL show. All right, you talk to a lot of
people in the NFL. What are the stories about Aaron
Rodgers that would make somebody like you say he's a fraud?
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Like I'm you know, and I'm gonna do this, and
I'm gonna say that's truly out of respect for you.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
Like those are those people's stories got to tell?
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Okay?
Speaker 4 (07:46):
And I don't want to do that because I think
it now opens up a different conversation between me and
Aaron Rodgers, which right now, which right now is him
saying things that are very superficial, very surface level, and
it's me continuing to do my job in a professional way.
(08:08):
And I don't have a personal issue with Aaron Rodgers.
And I also know that, like and you know me
well enough to know I probably moved differently than Aaron Rodgers.
I could say this to you. I reached out to
Pat McAfee because there were some parts of Aaron's you know,
sort of appearance on this show where you know, jealousy
(08:31):
was brought out, and you know, Aaron says at the end,
you know, there's a respect level, and that's why Pat
McAfee can get certain guests, and that was why end
my response to him, I listed the sort of people
I've set down with on the Pivot right.
Speaker 3 (08:46):
And so I think part of.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Part of the piece that made me call Aaron Rodgers
of fraud is his continual deflection of things that matter
in order to feed his fan base, right, in order.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
To get people who are like minded, people who.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
Would want to rail against someone like me, to find
a way to get them to do it, you know,
to talk about like what my vax status is. I mean,
and you know to say that you looked it up.
The only thing I ever said about him was he
was deceitful. And of course, stephen A, I am vaccinated
because I don't have a spleed, I don't have a gallbladder.
My immune system is deficient. But I think, to tell
(09:35):
me what meeting you've been in right where we've said
before speaking about Aaron Rodgers, make sure we speak a
certain way because of his back status.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
That never happened.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
That's never happened.
Speaker 4 (09:50):
And so I think the other big piece for me
is to sit there with Pat McAfee and continue to behave.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
If you're somewhere in some way being railroaded.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
In some way, a narrative is being driven about you
outside of what the play is. It is fraudulent to
sit in front of the TV and pretend to build
up teams and teammates and then to behave in locker
rooms in ways I have been told he behaves.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
Yeah, it makes you a fraud. Own it, Own who
you are. Own the times you've gone.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
To the front office to talk about players because they
aren't behaving in a way that you want them to.
And I think all of that to me is things
I don't.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Agree with with about Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
But as I said as well, also stories that are
supposed to be inside the locker room.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
Ryan Clark, as a football analyst, tell us what we
have seen from Amaron Rodgers this year on the football field.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
Compare yeah to what we're pasting to see.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
I mean, I think the first thing, Steven is we
should be seeing something different. He's a forty one year
old coming off of Achilles. We see how that has
hampered Kirk Cousins. But what we've seen as a slower
decision maker, what we've seen is a guy who's mispasses
that he normally and that we've seen him complete. We've
seen Aaron Rodgers be the reason the New York Jets
(11:21):
have lost football games.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
And all of those things are fair to say.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
Is their defense missing pieces that has not made it
as good as it was in years Aaron Rodgers was there, Absolutely,
But Aaron Rodgers has gotten everything he's asked for. There,
stephen A, you wanted Devonte Adams, we got you Devonte Adams.
You needed Alan Lazard, we got you, Adam Lazar. Garrett
Wilson was a guy that had thousand yard seasons without you.
(11:47):
This is a team that was full, that was seven
to ten last year with Zach Wilson at the helm,
that has to win three of their games to equal
that win total, to equal that record. We've seen below
level play, and I think at some point, you know,
people are going to point to the stats. Right at
the end of the season. He may finish for close
(12:08):
to thirty tubs, he may finish at eight to ten interception,
and they're going to say, Okay, this is play you
can win with. But it's the twenty first QBR in all.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
Of the league.
Speaker 4 (12:19):
And when you're behind, you get to throw the ball
as much as you freaking want to. And so I
just don't think that he's played at a level that
has elevated the New York Jets.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
And he also hasn't led at that level where you
see the.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
Frustration from Garrett Wilson on the sideline, When you see
Garrett Wilson and he having the training cap arguments that
they've been having.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
That's a problem.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
When you talk about Robert Salah being fired, part of
it is Aaron Rodgers play.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Part of it is also Aaron Rodgers leadership.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
It's Aaron Rodgers rhetoric, and to me, like, none of
those things beget a leader, especially with the experiences that
he's had in the NFL.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
Let me get a little person, know what you in
this regard when he talks about former players implying that
haven't done what he has done, I want to go
macro perspective and extend beyond Amaron Rodgers, because I'm quite
sure he's not the only player that feels that way
when receiving criticism over the airwaves. My attitude is this, Okay,
(13:21):
it's the media you get to say we never played.
It's pundits and commentators, et cetera. But in your case,
in a case of swagu our colleague Marcus Spears, the
Dan Alawski's, the Cam Newton's of the world, the Shannon
Sharps and various others that we're blessed to work with
every single week.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Right, y'all have all played. So it's like, how is
it as a.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
Former player hearing a player say to you all, who
the hell are y'all?
Speaker 2 (13:49):
When you're actually one of them? I don't understand that.
How do you take that?
Speaker 3 (13:54):
I mean, isn't that part of the arrogance? Though? Stephen A.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Is it that part of the fraudulents that if you
aren't saying the things that he wants you to say, now,
let's compare resumes. Now, let's compare the things that we've
accomplished careers. And I get it right, it's a way
(14:20):
to deflect from what the true issues are. Like for me,
I'd say, hey, let's sit down and break down the field.
Then like you know, let's watch it. Let's watch you
throw the football inside to Mike Williams against the Minnesota
Vikings and lose that game. And then part of the
(14:41):
fraud piece for me, stephen A is calling Mike Williams
out after the Bills game for not running down the
red line. You tell me what leaders, what good quarterbacks
do that that throw their other players under the bus.
We watched this man do that, and that's part of
why I called him a fraud.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
And so to me, like.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Him calling out former players doesn't bother me. Right, it
goes along with his lack of accountability, It goes along
with his feeling that he is above reproach. And piece
of it is right and is that there are some
former analysts who won't call him out about certain things.
(15:26):
And so now, when I reply in the way I do,
or when I have the feelings I do, I'm the anomaly,
right Like I'm the guy that's wrong. I'm the guy
that has a problem with him, when now I'm just
a dude that feels a certain way. So I tell
my truths and so he can say all he wants
about us.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
I think what I found hypocritical about.
Speaker 4 (15:48):
It was that he was on the show with a
former player, with two former players, actually a show that
employs another former player in Darius Butler. And so I
think for me, it's bro, you're sitting up here getting
paid money by Pat McAfee to do the exact same
thing that you're railing against.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
And that's the bigger problem.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
From a macro perspective.
Speaker 1 (16:14):
You being the host of the Pivot, y'all been doing
a great, great job making major noise. Major props to
you guys as well, and your career especially. You've really
ascended and you deserve everything. Let me take that back.
You deserve more than you're getting.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
I'm gonna say. I'm just gonna say it.
Speaker 1 (16:30):
You deserve more than Okay, but I say this to
you as you look at the media landscape that you
are now a part of, and you analyze and witness
today's culture compared to what it used to be. How
concerned are you, maybe not for yourself, but for the
(16:51):
industry at large moving forward? Knowing that these athletes, it
seems their sensitivity level has heightened enormously, probably because of
the advent of social.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Media and yes, is coming from everywhere.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
How concerned are you about that having dare I say,
a negative effect on sports moving forward?
Speaker 3 (17:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (17:11):
So, I think the biggest thing that happened, stephen A,
is that athletes will try to lessen the authenticity and
honesty of our voices. Right if you listen to the
way Aaron Rodgers attacked me in his second appearance on
(17:32):
Pat McAfee. He didn't attack my words, he didn't try
to attack any facts. What he tried to do was
win the emotional battle. He tried to discredit me by
saying there's no way that he's being honest about me
because he disagrees with my vaccination.
Speaker 3 (17:52):
Status, which I don't. I don't really care. It's your decision,
it's your body.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
But instead of saying, hey, Ryan Clark is wrong about
me being hypocritical because of X Y and z Ryan
Clark is wrong to call me arrogant because of x
Y and Z. Ryan Clark is wrong to call me
a fraud because.
Speaker 3 (18:12):
Of x Y and Z.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
See, that is what athletes will do now, they won't
have to combat you with facts because, in truth, stephen A,
outside of people like you, maybe you know Shay Sharp,
the current athlete is more popular than I am.
Speaker 3 (18:32):
The current athlete is.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
More popular than swagou is, than Dana alovski is and
those sorts of former athletes. So I don't really have
to be truthful. I don't have to be factual. I
can use the emotion of the fan base I've built
based off of the skill in my sport. And I
felt like that's what Aaron Rodgers was trying to do.
But I'm not scared about what this means for media
(18:56):
because we all have to adapt, right, we all have
to adjust.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
I mean, look at yourself. You're the biggest name in
sports media, in linear.
Speaker 4 (19:05):
TV, and you're now creating this platform for yourself that's amazing,
created by you, controlled by you, because you do understand
the media landscapes and the way that it's changing.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
And I think that's what we all have to do.
We all have to be able to evolve.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
But I think even if you look at my four
minute response that I posted on social it gives me
an opportunity to take control of the narrative of self,
the narrative that's being painted of me.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
And you know, I appreciate those opportunities as well.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
How mindful and cognizant or should I say, how much
does it really affect you and how you go about
the business of doing your job on an everyday basis,
considering the growth and the maturation that has taking place
in you when you look at the pivot, you look
(19:57):
at ESPN. Listen, we have a voice. We always call
our c we always call. We want to hear what
you have to say. We want the audience to hear
what you have to say. You've been on me, You've
been on TV with me on several occasions, and there's
times that I could say something, I'm going like this, Now,
let him say it that, let him let him speak
(20:19):
on this. He's more qualified, because it's important that your
voice is heard. How mindful are you of that now
at this point in time in your career on a
personal level, then you were, say five years ago, ten
years ago.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
I'm very mindful of it, to be honest, Stevine A like,
I think about you often, you know, and I get
to talk about you a lot because everybody that's the
first thing I'm always asked, and always.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
Like, man, how you how you deal with.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
That dude, and always tell him Nobody in that building
has stood up for me the way that you have.
Nobody in that building has advised me in that way
I said. He's taught me so much, whether it's by
actual advice or being able to watch. And I think
the thing that I've learned stephen A, is like, these
are the things we ask for by working hard, right.
Speaker 3 (21:08):
You want your voice to matter right. And what I've learned.
Speaker 4 (21:11):
Is the other side right, the people that push against
the things that we say. A lot of times, they
show me that I'm on the right path. They show
me that I'm where I want to be. And I
do get what I represent. I represent the next former
player who wants to be Ryan Clark, the next former
player who wants to have the platform that I do.
Speaker 3 (21:34):
And so that's important to me that I represent that
in the right way. But it's also important.
Speaker 4 (21:39):
To me that I stay authentic It's also important to
me that I remain myself, and I think that was
a big part of my second response to Aaron Rodgers.
Speaker 3 (21:48):
And I can tell you this and share it with you.
Speaker 4 (21:52):
I had actually done something the day before afterwards, and
it was before Pat and I text message, and part
of it involved Pat, not in like a disrespectful way
in any way, because I have no issues with him,
but it talked about his show, the platform and you know,
him giving Aaron Rodgers the space to say those things.
(22:13):
And I didn't post that because I was like, nah,
as a man if and I have no issues. If
Pat and I have had these conversations, he doesn't need
to be involved in any way in this response. So
it can be skewed that we have a problem because
I recognize the power of my voice and the way
that people will try to attack and critique and pick
(22:35):
apart everything I do, and so I took you know,
I made sure to be smart about that. Also in
my response to Aaron Rodgers. I made sure my tone
was a professional tone. I made sure my words were
fact factual. I made sure I didn't insult him. I
thought about the first response on first take, and I said, well,
I feel like a lot of these things were taken
(22:57):
this way because of my wording right fraud eric it.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Let me be extremely careful.
Speaker 4 (23:02):
In how I do that and make sure that my
words are as poignant as possible, because I understand the
voice and like I worked for this, I earned this,
and I want to protect it as well.
Speaker 1 (23:15):
How much does your son, being a college player at
Notre Dame right now about to play the night by
the way I guess at Theiana win this game.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
How much does your son, knowing.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
He's in the sports world, he's a player, how much
does that affect how you speak and how you disseminate
messages to the masses.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Masses at this point in time.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
Do you know what's funny about it, stephen A, Is
when I didn't post the thing I recorded that involved Pat,
I was actually done right. I was like, Man, I'm
not gonna say nothing. I'm gonna let it go. I
couldn't go to sleep, stephen A, because I felt tried,
like I felt like he tried to play me, and
like I had no resolve, like I didn't speak for myself.
(24:01):
And I think that matters to me more when it
pertains to my son than what I say in the
media as it pertains to analyze in football. I want
him to know that we always have to worry about
the self respect. We always have to worry about the
last name. We always have to be concerned with the authenticity.
We always have to know that when we look at
(24:22):
ourselves in the mirror, we were true to who God
made us to be. And I think that that's the
most important thing for me and as far as him.
He has a podcast here called The Irish Scoop. And
I was walking down the hall last night and this
lady stopped me and she goes a white woman actually,
and she says, I love everything you do on TV,
(24:42):
and I one hundred percent agree with you on what
you said to Aaron Rodgers. And then the last thing
she told me was and I love your son's podcast,
you know, and like for me, man, that meant the
world to me, because you know, I've worked hard in
both careers and for him to be doing both of
the things that I've been able to feed my family
(25:03):
with and to be doing them at a high level
and to have people.
Speaker 3 (25:06):
Take recognition of that really is a blessing for it.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
You know, Listen, man, I mean I wanted to bring
you on the show because you're my brother. I love you,
and I know I will vouch for your integrity all day,
any day, any time of the week. And I knew
that you came across professionally and what have you.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
But you had to claim that because I know how
you roll. You ain't backing up for you nobody. I
know You've been there. I know this.
Speaker 1 (25:27):
I know this all right. But listen, man, before I
let you get on out of here. Since I got
you here, man, I need your help. I was gonna
do these quick takes by myself. I got a couple
of NFL games to get to you, and I got
a couple of college football games to get you. Oh,
by the way, I don't know if you know this.
You know I'm going to steal his Ravens game tomorrow.
You know I've been I've been invited. What side you're
sitting on, No, no, no, I've been invited as.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
A guest of the governor. What's more, I'm a personal
guest to go.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
So we rolled respect that we rolled into the game together.
You know, you know me, I'm going I'm not trying
to sit in on stands. I'm not trying to sit on.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
You said your owner's box at the Chargers games.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
This is true, and I'm not apologizing for it.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
And I'm gonna try to get as many of those
seasons I possibly can'tnot see. But let me ask you this,
I mean, are you gonna be a Benedict Arno or
remember you a Pittsburgh Steeler? That's where the Super Bowl was?
The Stealers the Ravens Saturday. Lamar Jackson can't beat the Steelers,
lost eight of the NAT nine last meetings against the
Stealers and stuff like that.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
What's gonna happen? Who's winning?
Speaker 3 (26:23):
You know what? I think the Ravens get this one.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
When I look at the way this team is played
down the stretch, they kind of short up some of
the things in the secondary.
Speaker 3 (26:34):
But what scares me.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Is no George Pickens. You know, look at this. Look
at this offense the last two weeks without him, no
explosive plays. Can't back defenders off of the offense. And
the other piece of it was when you go back
to the first game, Lamar Jackson had some opportunities to
use his legs and he didn't, And he said his
mom told him he had to stop that. And that
(26:57):
makes me scary because the called quarterback run worked when
you used against the Pittsburgh Steelers. And we all know
how electrifying Lamar could be when he gets outside the pocket,
and if he utilizes those things, it could be trouble.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
Kan's City Chiefs, Texans.
Speaker 3 (27:12):
I got the I got the Chiefs even with Patrick
Mahons hobbled man. Patrick Mahons won a Super Bowl hobbled
steven A.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
I know, I know, and I will I will say this,
the Texans have a chance.
Speaker 4 (27:26):
They could turn the football over. What scares me is
there a protection of CJ.
Speaker 3 (27:31):
Stroud.
Speaker 4 (27:31):
This offensive line just hasn't been good this year. I
think that's a big piece of why his numbers are down.
He started to rush a little bit, not the sort
of poise we saw from him last season. Even in
the win last week, they weren't explosive in the past game.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
So I believe the Kansas City Chiefs doing.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Uh, let's go to college football. Man, we're talking about
Indiana and not the Dame to night. I mean, I
know you gonna pick Notre Dame. That's just son.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
But the inclement, whether the snow.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
And all of that stuff you don't expect that to have.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
A negative effect in any way.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
No, I mean both of these teams can run the football.
Indiana is so precise with what they do with signetti
and the way that they use their quarterback offensively such
a system quarterback knows exactly where to go with it.
But we can run the football. Jeremiah Love and you'll
see it tonight.
Speaker 3 (28:18):
Steven A.
Speaker 4 (28:19):
I think he should be an early Heisman favorite next year.
He's just a dude, explosive to score.
Speaker 3 (28:24):
In every game this season.
Speaker 4 (28:27):
Riley Leonard has continued to improve since that NIU game.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
I think this game is close.
Speaker 4 (28:32):
I believe it's low scoring, but I expect the defense
to make enough plays. Look for zero Xavier, watch the
best safety of football to come up with the turnover.
And I think this is a game. And we move
on to the Sugar Bowl January first against Georgia.
Speaker 2 (28:46):
How much how.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Much, I mean, how much do you work with your
son and how and how tricky does that get? Because sometimes,
I mean you might in other words, for us that
the average person out here doesn't play. You'll look at
You'll imagine a player are playing for a particular coach
and the coach telling the parents to stay away. Still
on the side, let me do this, But you can't
say that to when the dad's the god's father is
(29:09):
a Super Bowl champion.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
Okay, that was in a secondary for crime out loud.
Speaker 3 (29:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
So I've trained him stephen A since he was in
eighth grade. We were driving to school and he looks
at me. He goes, Dad, I want to play college ball,
and he's like, I want to play receiver. I was like, well, Pops,
can't really help you with that, Like I think you
should play receiver in high school too, but let's train DV.
Speaker 3 (29:30):
And so I've been doing it his entire career.
Speaker 4 (29:32):
I'm the only DV trainer he's ever had outside of
his coaches. I remember with grade every play from high
school football and give him his grade.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
We go through the tape. But now that he's in college,
I backed off. I'm not one of those dads that's
on the sidelines.
Speaker 4 (29:47):
I don't go to practice when parents aren't invited. I
don't stick my head into meetings like I don't do
that obviously. Coach Free and I have a good relationship,
like I text him each week and we talk about
just mindset of football, but we don't talk about Jordan.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Jordan has to control his own career.
Speaker 1 (30:05):
Last question for you, Tennessee number nine at Ohio State.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
I have been of this mindset. I'm not in the.
Speaker 1 (30:12):
Caller for people to get fired. I'm very selective with that. Okay,
you gotta really be bad. Ryan Day is not bad.
Sixty six to ten.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Career record for crying out loud.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
But he's lost four straight years to Michigan at the
Ohio State.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
And if he's not a part of the national championship.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Picture after having a twenty million dollar roster courtesy of
nil in the transfer potal, combined with the fact that
you had eleven players that were considered an NFL caliber.
Speaker 6 (30:37):
That returned to your guard this year, if you can't,
if you lose tomorrow night on ABC after losing the
Michigan for a fourth straight time, Ryan Clark, I don't
know how he could keep his job to that.
Speaker 3 (30:48):
You say, what, Yeah, I don't believe he can. Steven A.
Speaker 4 (30:52):
I think one, Ohio State's tired of losing to Michigan.
Speaker 3 (30:56):
Two. When you have the best roster money can buy,
you have to produce. Tennessee is a good.
Speaker 4 (31:02):
Team or sec team only two losses this year, but
Ryan Day and Ohio State Buck guys should win this game,
especially playing at home. I think if he does not
only win this game, but end up being in the
final four of the college football playoff picture, I think
Ryan Day will lose his job and there will be
(31:23):
another head coach at Ohio State University.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
Ryan Clark, Man, appreciate your time wishing your son Jordan
good luck tonight against Indiana.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Know to Day, Thank you Indian.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
Appreciate you taking time out of your business schedule to
come on and talk.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
To me and rap to me. Man, really appreciate all
the best to you.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
I'll see you so my may I love all right
and only Ryan Clark right here on the Stephen A.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
Smith Show.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
You heard what he had to say, you can respond accordingly.
Host
Stephen A. Smith
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