Stephen A. Smith Warns Aaron Rodgers About His ESPN Colleague
12/19/2024 12:26 PM
Stephen A. Smith interjected in ESPN's latest drama between Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Clark.
Rodgers, who has shared baseless conspiracy theories on The Pat McAfee Show, blasted ESPN analysts for saying "asinine" and "unfounded" things on ESPN during his weekly paid appearance on the ESPN program. After Clark criticized the hypocrisy, Rodgers returned to McAfee's show to call Clark a "fraud." The New York Jets quarterback also oddly asked about the analyst's vaccination status.
Clark responded by posting a video on social media. He accused Rodgers of trying to "trick" people into talking about him deceiving the public about his COVID-19 vaccination status to conceal the "stink of your film."
The former NFL safety touted his credentials as a former captain and Emmy Award winner who, like Rodgers, has one Super Bowl ring. Clark also noted that the Jets must win their final three games to match last season's record without him.
Smith discussed the situation on his show. As much as he's loved Rodgers as a player, the First Take pundit agreed with Clark's on-field assessment of the 41-year-old.
"His words cannot be diluted or minimized, because what he pointed out was accurate," Smith said. "Aaron Rodgers' QBR is [ranked] 21. The New York Jets are 4-10. Up until a couple of weeks ago, Aaron Rodgers looked horrid."
Smith inaccurately said it's "been years" since Rodgers has thrown 300 yards in a game [he threw for 339 yards on Dec. 8] when lamenting his "alarming" decline. He added that he was "fascinated" by Rodgers going after a former player.
The ESPN personality defended his colleague, calling Clark "one of the most brilliant football analysts we have in the business today."
"The brother has high integrity. High integrity," Smith continued. "He's very principled, and he ain't backing up from anybody."
Smith urged Rodgers to stop squabbling with Clark and "show us what you got left" on the field.
"Going after Ryan Clark, that ain't gonna do much for you," Smith said. "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 Rodgers.
"In fact, it's almost as bad of a situation as it has been you going out on the field on Sundays in a Jets uniform. You might want to think about that."
Related: Aaron Rodgers Wants To Know If ESPN NFL Analyst Is Vaccinated
