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December 19, 2024 13 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

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
I gotta get into something that's hitting a little close
to home because there seems to be something percolating between
one of my colleagues at ESPN one and only, Ryan Clark,
or seeing my brother from the Pivot podcast. Obviously an
extraordinary NFL analyst for ESPN, a contributor to First Take,

(00:24):
Get Up, and other shows on ESPN like NFL Live,
Monday Night Football, Monday Night NFL.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Countdown, etc. This is who Ryan Clark is.

Speaker 1 (00:32):
He's an incredible asset to the ESPN family. He's a
personal friend of mine. Brother got love for him, and
he was on First Take last week really going at
Aaron Rodgers, even called them a fraud and just clapped
at him big time for some of the things that
he has said and done, particularly in his less than

(00:56):
illustrious time with the New York Jets. Even though over
the last couple of weeks so Aaron Rodgers been balling,
throwing for six hundred and twenty eight yards for touchdowns,
no picks at all over the last couple of games. Nevertheless,
when he spoke and said what he said, Aaron Rodgers,
who's a weekly guest on Pat McAfee's show on ESPN,

(01:18):
had this to say about Ryan Clark.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Quote, say whatever the expletive.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
You want about me, I don't care, but just before
you do it, whether you state your name, your alcolades, pronouns,
whatever it is, just state your VAX's status so that
anything you say afterwards gets you put in the right light.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
Just get it out there. That was Aaron Rodgers.

Speaker 1 (01:45):
If you know anything about my man, Ryan Clark, he
ain't gonna take stuff like that sit down.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
That's just not how he rolls to anybody, especially.

Speaker 1 (01:55):
I mean, he's a proud black man, so you're a
white dude coming at him, He's gonna raise his antennas
even more. I'm just telling you who I know. I'm
not saying he said anything like that. I just know him, okay,
and that we've known each other for years. So needless
to say, I was anticipating when I saw that quote
from Aaron Rodgers that Ryan Clark would have a response.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
I didn't know it was gonna be a four minute.

Speaker 1 (02:20):
One on acts, but Ryan Clark that's what he does
when he has something to say. So I decided to
peel about two minutes from it to hear for y'all
is see yourselves he is Ryan Clark, responding to Aaron Rodgers.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
My name is Ryan Clark. Played thirteen years in the NFL,
been the two Super Bowls. I have as many rings
as you do. I was the captain of two separate
football teams. I'm also an Emmy winner. I'm also the
co host, owner and partner of an Emmy nominated podcast

(02:59):
called The Pivot. Now I know something else you were
very interested in was my vaccination status. And yes, I'm
vaxsed because I have no spleen, I have no gallbladder,
because of playing in Denver and being willing to go back,
honestly and play again. Cause I've been in those locker rooms,
and I've talked to people that have been in the
locker rooms with you. I have the stories, I have

(03:22):
all the things that they said that informed my opinion
of who you are. And as far as your vaccination status,
so you can stop trying to trick people into thinking
that we wanna talk about that above the stink of
your film. I've never heard it one more time after

(03:43):
your incident, and the only reason we spoke about it
then was because based on your vaccination status, it was
going to determine how long you were out. And also
people didn't care that you weren't vaccinated. They cared that
you were slimy about it. They cared that you were
deceitful about it, and they care that you had this

(04:03):
air of arrogance when answering the questions about it, and
you've kind of only been the only person that's talked
about it since. But let me be very very clear,
my job is to analyze you. You've decided to analyze me,
and in analyzing you, what I know is your QBRS

(04:24):
twenty First, also know that you're the quarterback of a
four and ten team who has to win the last
three games of the season to even be equal to
what last year's team was without you.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Now, I get it.

Speaker 3 (04:39):
You get on the show and you talk about my
broach and you curse and all that's tough talk. I
just need you to know though none of that scared me.
I'm'a do my job the way I'm supposed to do it.
I feel no way about not being able to talk
about what the film says because of what my career was.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
And if you.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
Continue to be arrogant or smug or hypocritical, and it
pertains to my job. I'm gonna do it, and I
wanna remind you again. I'm Ryan Clark, thirteen years, Emmy winner,
host of an Emmy nominated podcast and speaking of that
jealousy and guest stuff The Rock, Kevin Hart, Mike Tomlin,

(05:28):
Devonte Adams, Joe Burrow, Shaq just to name a few.
No money, just relationships, conversations and respects. What I tried
to give you and we'll keep it that way.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
As long as you want it like that. Appreciate you,
Wow Riveting's words.

Speaker 1 (05:50):
Why my brother Ryan Clark, I will doubt that by
one second.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
Couple of things to peel from all of this. Number one.

Speaker 1 (06:01):
In the past, on many occasions, I've been accused of
having a man crush on Aaron Rodgers. I believe it's
a talent at his best in his prime in Roote
four le MVP honors. It's one of the greatest quarterbacks
we've ever seen in our lives.

Speaker 2 (06:15):
He's still that way.

Speaker 1 (06:16):
I think that Aaron Rodgers, up until Patrick Mahomes came along,
was the greatest talent at the quarterback position I'd ever
seen with my two eys, so there's nothing to debate
about the greatness of Aaron Rodgers and the fact that
he's destined for the Hall of Fame, because when you
have his resume, it.

Speaker 2 (06:32):
Is what it is.

Speaker 1 (06:34):
But Ryan Clark, his words cannot be diluted or minimized
because what he pointed out was accurate. Aaron Rodgers QBR
is twenty one. The New York Jets are four and
ten up until four a couple of weeks ago. Aaron
Rodgers looks horrid as a quarterback for the New York Jets.

(06:58):
It's been years since he's thrown for over three hundred
yards in the game, and the precipitous drop.

Speaker 2 (07:03):
Off has been alarming. Over the last two weeks.

Speaker 1 (07:07):
Six hundred and twenty eight passing yards for touchdowns, no
picks over the last seven games thirteen touchdowns just won
an interception of passer.

Speaker 2 (07:14):
Rating of one hundred point four. Very impressive.

Speaker 1 (07:17):
But the reality is that Aaron Rodgers looked as like
a shell of himself, and one has no doubt that
that must hurt him to hear from anybody. And what
I like about this conversation, And I say like because
I'm fascinated by it. See this isn't Aaron Rodgers clapping
at a reporter. This is Aaron Rodgers going at a

(07:41):
former contemporary, a member of the club, a member to click.
You remember, you're a National Football League player, you're a
Super Bowl champion.

Speaker 2 (07:51):
You apply, you qualify.

Speaker 1 (07:55):
So Aaron Rodgers can'd come at Ryan Clark the way
he would come at say some they like me who's
never played football, or a pluthoro of other pundits and
commentators out there who have never played the game or
any professional sport for that matter.

Speaker 2 (08:07):
That is not Ryan Clark. That is not Ryan Clark.
And so when you.

Speaker 1 (08:13):
Tried to come at him that way, that was mistake
number one.

Speaker 2 (08:16):
Mistake number two.

Speaker 1 (08:18):
You brought up the vac status because evidently Amon Rodgers
feels that anybody who took the vaccine, their opinions are
to be dismissed.

Speaker 2 (08:28):
Because there's so much that we've.

Speaker 1 (08:30):
Learned about the whole COVID vaccine and everything that transpired
during that time that conspiracy theorists at the time to
Amon Rodgers, the Kyrie Irvings and others ended up looking
a lot better later on, and in fairness, a lot
better than the rest of.

Speaker 2 (08:47):
Us, myself included.

Speaker 1 (08:50):
Here's the flip side, Ryan Clark pointed out, it wasn't
that you took the vaccine or that you didn't take
the vaccine. Is that he used the word slimy. I'm
saying you were lying. You said you were immunized. You
gave the impression that you were vaccinated, and you didn't

(09:11):
man up in state.

Speaker 2 (09:12):
No, I didn't take the vaccine.

Speaker 1 (09:14):
And guess what, as an NFL player, Aaron Rodgers didn't
have to take the vaccine. You would have still been
allowed to play. So there was no reason to give
the impression that you were vaccinated when in fact you weren't.
And you being seen as a stand up guy that
called it like you saw it and was honest and forthcoming,
then it come across like that when it came to
the whole vaccination issue. That's what Ryan Clark was pointing to,

(09:38):
and he's right about that.

Speaker 2 (09:40):
When it gets to the credentials.

Speaker 1 (09:41):
Of Ryan Clarke, let me say this, Ryan Clark is
a contributor to the first tape. Ryan Clarke is one
of the most brilliant football analysts we have in the
business today. His ethics, his professionalism, his cool nucleus of

(10:03):
his soul is not to be questioned. Now me, those
broaches that he's got on his blaze is the big ARC.

Speaker 2 (10:09):
I don't think you need that, bro. Everybody know who
you are. See when you large RC, you don't need
the RC.

Speaker 1 (10:15):
Yes, we know who the hell you are. That's just
my personal opinion, but that's his style. He doesn't believe
he's better addressed than me. I disagree, but that's a
different subject for another day.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
In all seriousness, the point is.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
The brother has high integrity, high integrity, he's very principled
and he ain't backing up from anybody.

Speaker 2 (10:39):
And so when Aaron Rodgers wants to come at.

Speaker 1 (10:41):
Him, you can't come at him for his credentials as
a football player other than he wasn't you. You can't
come at him fist integrity or professionalism as somebody in
the media because cause he's pointed out the great work

(11:01):
that he's been doing, and he's right on.

Speaker 2 (11:03):
Off fronts.

Speaker 1 (11:05):
When he talks about what he hears in those locker rooms, Well,
y'all are the ones that tell the media we don't
know y'all are the ones that know, Well, he's one
of the y'all's, which means that people in locker rooms
have told them those things that he ultimately has disseminated
and conveyed about you, Aaron Rodgers, and that is inescapable
and the last part about his relationships. That was not

(11:29):
a shot at Pat McAfee, nor should it be. Plenty
of shows have had and will have guests that they pay.

Speaker 2 (11:37):
Pat McAfee has done it. I'm sure something I'll.

Speaker 1 (11:40):
Do in the future for people I've paid guests before.
You understand, not that I'm talking about anybody that would
come on weekly or whatever. Sure I would, okay, along
with many, many, many others who would do that. There
are paid appearances in our business all the time.

Speaker 4 (11:56):
That was not a shot at Pat McAfee. It was
a shot at Aaron Rodgers. It was Ryan Clark saying,
you got to.

Speaker 1 (12:07):
Be paid to go on with your boy. Other people
didn't charge me. That's not talking about Pat McAfee. That's
talking about Aaron Rodgers. So I think it's something that
needed to be said. In the end, it comes back
to what I've said about Aaron Rodgers so many times,

(12:28):
My man, ball and win, because the reality is you
haven't won as great as you are. You ever won
a super Bosin in twenty ten, you haven't been to
the Super Bowl since twenty ten, and now your career
is going in the wrong direction based on wins and losses.
They want you doll it back, roll it back to
next year with you and Devontae Adams.

Speaker 2 (12:51):
Here all next season and beyond. Do something about it.

Speaker 1 (12:53):
Bro show us what you got left going after Ryan Clark.

Speaker 2 (13:00):
That ain't gonna do much for you. That ain't gonna
do much for you.

Speaker 1 (13:05):
Ryan Clark and I have gone at each other in
the past. You don't have a platform every day like
I do. You don't want to go at Ryan Clark.
That is not a winnable situation for you, Aaron Rochester.
In fact, it's almost as bad of a situation as

(13:25):
it has been you going out on the field on
Sundays in the Jets uniform.

Speaker 2 (13:29):
You might want to think about that.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
Just friendly words of advice, That's all I want to
say about that.
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Stephen A. Smith

Stephen A. Smith

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