The worldwide leader in sports never fails to provide perplexing opinions about athletes.
Ryan Clark’s recent remarks on ESPN’s NFL Live studio coverage had everyone laughing, but now he’s facing backlash.
Clark went on a tirade against Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, claiming that he didn’t work out during the offseason, ignored the team nutritionist’s advice, and even made derogatory comments about his appearance.
He went as far as comparing Tagovailoa’s physique to that of a thick stripper. Less than 24 hours later, Tagovailoa addressed these comments and fired back at Clark.
He expressed that it’s strange when someone who is no longer relevant in the league talks about others, and emphasized the importance of respect in his Samoan background. He also suggested that there are aspects of his physique and training that people don’t understand or know about, and he would appreciate it if Clark kept his name out of his mouth.
Tagovailoa said, “He probably knows more about me than I know about myself. Ryan’s been out of the league for some time. I don’t know, it’s a little weird when other people are talking about other people and they’re not that person.”
Tagovailoa added, “My background, I come from a Samoan family respect is everything. It does get to a point where hey, a little easy on that buddy. I think we’re tough-minded people, if we need to get scrappy, we can get scrappy too. “
He continued:
“You think I wanted to build all this muscle. To some extent, I wanted to be a little lighter. There’s a mixture of things that people don’t understand that people don’t know about that are talked about that go behind the scenes. I appreciate if you kept my name out my mouth, that’s what I’d say.”
“I don’t look at myself who chases clout. I stay out of the media as much as I can. I try to live my life as private as I can. If they think it’s chasing clout, buddy I’m the wrong person… Go find Jake Paul or go find Logan.”
"I'd appreciate it if you kept my name out your mouth."
Tua responds to Ryan Clark's comments that he "wasn't in the gym" in the offseason ?
(via @DavidFurones_)pic.twitter.com/Ho1xqgf8tz
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 23, 2023
Tagovailoa made it clear that he doesn’t seek attention or clout and prefers to live his life privately. Ryan Clark had a successful 13-year NFL career as a safety, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has even won a Sports Emmy as an outstanding personality/studio analyst.
In 2022, Tagovailoa threw for 3,548 yards and 25 touchdowns with only eight interceptions, but he missed four games due to concussions.
The Dolphins are hopeful that his offseason work will make him more resilient against big hits to prevent future concussions and subsequent game absences, which plagued him in 2022, including a playoff loss.
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