Ryan Clark, Not Aaron Rodgers, Is A Fraud: Bobby Burack

Ryan Clark should not be in the business of labeling others "frauds." Yet that is the term he has used to describe Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers over the past week, in a feud Clark so clearly wants to make personal. 

During a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers jabbed the state of the sports media for using his name to garner fame. On Friday, Clark responded to the segment with an overly emotional rant about who Rodgers is as a person:

My issue with him is you’re doing the exact same thing; and the reason that you’re getting this opportunity to say these asinine things is because someone is paying you who is exactly the same thing that you are now speaking out against. This dude is once again tone-deaf. This dude is once again unaware. This dude is once again arrogant to a point that’s almost sickening because he says these things, and he talks tough, and he behaves in this way, but he ain’t.

He has all of this cache because he’s a good player; but there ain’t people around here that come around and talk about what type of leader you are. There ain’t people that come around here and talk about wanting to follow you because of the type of man you have been. This dude is a fraud! He’s been a fraud; and he could throw a football and that’s where it stops. Once that talent ends, so does him and so does he!

Rodgers responded on Tuesday, by mocking Clark for needing a "brooch with his initials" and for the many Covid boosters he probably received. The initials embroidered on the suit jackets are a bit self-sententious.

Clark followed up with more barbs on Wednesday, this time belittling Rodgers as a quarterback.

"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 QBR is 21st. I also know that you’re the quarterback of a 4-10 team that has to win the last three games of the season to even be equal to what last year’s team was without you," Clark said.

Clark then compared himself to Rodgers as a player, saying, "Now, let me be clear, because I know you want us to list these things. My name is Ryan Clark. Played 13 years in the NFL. Been to two Super Bowls. 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 a co-host, owner, and partner of an Emmy nominated podcast called The Pivot."

Uh, what?

Aaron Rodgers is universally recognized as one of the greatest football players of all time. He is a four-time league MVP, 10-time Pro Bowler, four-time All Pro, and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. Ryan Clark made the Pro Bowl once and was, at best, a rotational defender.

Nonetheless, here's Clark's latest video in which he claims Rodgers disrespected him:

To recap, Ryan Clark took personal and unprompted shots at Aaron Rodgers and then cried victim when the quarterback responded. Talk about eunuch behavior.

But that is nothing new with Clark. This is the same ESPN analyst who frequently brags about how he "never backs down" to a conversation but, as stated in a lawsuit against Disney, refused to appear on-air with Sage Steele in 2021 because he learned of her conservative politics. No, really.

Clark's credibility is also in question.

Last year, Clark baited ESPN into re-signing him after sharing tweets about how the company didn't appreciate his sacrifice. However, Clark did not use a traditional television agent to negotiate his new deal. 

Oh, no.

Rather, he relied upon David Mulughetal, an agent for NFL players. That's right, someone who is paid to analyze football players is in business with an agent who represents many of the players he covers.

Last March, OutKick, with the help of several of Clark's colleagues who spoke on the condition of anonymity, found that Clark had seemingly used his ESPN platform to defend Mulugheta clients against very warranted criticisms.

Notably, Clark defended Deshaun Watson, Mulugheta's prized $230 million client, against criticism from Brady Quinn, who referenced the fact that Watson was facing nearly 30 allegations of sexual misconduct. There are many more examples of that here. 

CLEVELAND - DECEMBER 10: Ryan Clark #25 of the Pittsburgh Steelers sits on the bench towards the end of the game against the Cleveland Brown at Cleveland Browns Stadium on December 10, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

OutKick asked ESPN how it could expect Clark to analyze clients of Mulugheta's objectively, given his relationship with the agent. ESPN did not respond. We also asked Clark about the clear conflict of interest in March. He responded by telling us he never, ever wanted OutKick to contact him again. 

As far as we know, that order still stands.

Ryan Clark is the epitome of trying too hard. In January, he called Lamar Jackson "the first true authentic black quarterback," suggesting that Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and other black quarterbacks were not "black enough." We aren't sure what that means, other than Clark's comment was both racist and pathetic. 

Ryan Clark wants to be Oprah Winfrey so badly. Too bad he has trouble reading the teleprompter as host of CW's Inside the NFL. (Yet he wants ESPN to use him more like Laura Rutledge, sources say.)

Still, Clark embarrasses ESPN more than he does himself. 

Clark holds one of two analyst seats (along with Jason Kelce) at halftime on ESPN's most prized property, Monday Night Football. There, he greatly undermines the credibility of the platform. 

He has already conceded he is not an objective voice, but a wannabe foe of Aaron Rodgers; a puppet for a top NFL agent; and someone who is clearly afraid of women with conservative views (let's hope Brittany Mahomes doesn't make the rundown anytime soon).

Ryan Clark is a fraud. And Aaron Rodgers has enough material to bury him next week on the Pat McAfee Show.