Former NFL player Ryan Clark offered an apology to Robert Griffin III after involving Griffin’s wife in a dispute about WNBA players Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark earlier this week. The disagreement gained attention after Griffin shared on social media his belief that Reese “hates” Caitlin Clark, which prompted Clark to respond with controversial remarks.
Clark Reflects on Missteps and Personal Bias in the Dispute
Clark acknowledged that his reaction stemmed partly from his own feelings and previous tensions with Griffin. In a detailed YouTube statement, Clark explained,
“All of it started over an Angel Reese take that he felt was a sports take that I didn’t feel that way about. I felt it was away from the court, I felt it was away from basketball . . .”
He further admitted,
“I took a take that was personal to another person and made it personal to myself, and I shouldn’t have done that.”
Clark conceded that his intent was to defend Reese, a young Black athlete, not to attack Griffin or his family.
“I wanted to defend a young Black woman, which ended up being an attack on him, he felt, or at least he said, an attack on his family. And that was never the case, or never the intent, of mine,”
Clark said, emphasizing that his comments were driven by the desire to highlight the importance of understanding and supporting Black women.
Apology Directed at Griffin’s Wife and Call to Keep Families Out of Public Conflicts
Clark specifically addressed Griffin’s wife, Grete, stating,
“To Grete, I was out of line. I was out of bounds. I apologize.”
He asked supporters on both sides of the debate to refrain from targeting Griffin’s family, saying,
“To all the people who don’t like RG’s take or takes or the way that he moves, or even if you just, in this conversation, take my side and want to support me, leave his family alone… Families should be off limits.”
He admitted that introducing Griffin’s wife into the argument was a mistake and reflected on the broader lesson,
“She should not have been brought up in me trying to make a point about how having Black women close to you, and the things that you learn from them, can help you in the way that you approach and speak to and about them. She didn’t need to be the illustration of that.”
Clark emphasized that his message could have been delivered without implying any shortcomings of non-Black women, maintaining that he meant to speak positively about Black women without negative comparisons.
Griffin Responds Critically to Clark’s Remarks
Robert Griffin III openly criticized Clark’s approach, calling his comments evidence of
“how low of a person he is.”
The initial disagreement between the two arose after a recent conflict involving Angel Reese, who plays for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, and Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark.
The controversy ignited following Reese’s on-court altercation with Caitlin Clark at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, an incident captured by photographers Trevor Ruszkowski and Gary A. Vasquez. Clark took issue with what he saw as personal attacks and exchanges that went beyond the sporting context, which contributed to the escalating tension between Griffin and Clark.
Significance and Possible Aftermath of the Dispute
This episode highlights the challenges that arise when personal and racial issues intersect with public sports debates, especially in social media-driven environments. Ryan Clark’s apology illustrates an attempt to mend fences after remarks that crossed personal boundaries, underscoring the importance of separating family from public disagreements.
As the conversation around Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark continues in sports circles, this incident serves as a reminder that discussions involving race, identity, and respect require sensitivity. Both Clark and Griffin remain influential voices in sports commentary, and their interactions could shape how future disputes of this nature are handled in the public eye.