Ryan Clark blasts Aaron Rodgers over comments about former players in media
Aaron Rodgers seemingly ripped sports analysts earlier this week on The Pat McAfee Show and Ryan Clark responded with authority.
It’s easy to see where Rodgers came from when he mentioned how former players want to stay relevant in the hot-take type of media world on ESPN and other networks. Ironically, he did it on ESPN, which simulcasts McAfee’s show Monday to Friday for two of its three-plus hours.
For reference, before reading and listening to Clark’s response, here are Rodgers’ original comments.
“There’s a lot of people talking about the game now,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Both non-former players and former players who are trying to stay relevant fame-wise. So the takes and the criticism are a lot different than they were maybe in the mid-2000s.”
McAfee almost thought Rodgers was referring to him and his cast, which Rodgers denied.
“I’m talking about these experts on TV who nobody remembers what they did in their career,” Rodgers said. “So in order for them to stay relevant, they have to make comments that keep them in the conversation. That wasn’t going on in 2008, 2009. The SportsCenter of my youth, those guys made highlights so much fun. And that’s what they showed on SportsCenter.
“Now it’s all talk shows and people whose opinions are so important now and they believe they’re the celebrities now, they’re the stars for just being able to talk about sports or give a take about sports, many of which are unfounded or asinine, as we all know. But that’s the environment we’re in now.”
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A couple of days later, Clark took to First Take to respond to Rodgers’ recent comments.
“Aaron Rodgers blasted former players for believing they are stars now after not having the greatest of careers,” Clark wrote on Twitter while posting his clip from First Take. “It’s ironic that he said this while being paid to by a former player who is the epitome of the people he’s lamenting!
“Aaron is one of the greatest players of all time, and in my opinion top 2 most talented QBs to ever play. Still, his latest rant is hypocritical, tone deaf, & extremely unaware, but hey he’s Aaron Rodgers right? It doesn’t have to make sense!”
Rodgers is paid by McAfee’s show for his weekly appearances during football season, so the irony is probably not lost on viewers or the QB himself. The future Hall of Famer did previously say he had no interest in broadcast, studio shows or live games.
Unfortunately for Rodgers, to the dismay of New York Jets fans, New York is 3-10 with four games left despite one of Rodgers’ best games of the year in an overtime loss to the Miami Dolphins.