Former Pittsburgh Steelers free safety, Ryan Clark was harsh with his criticism on Monday morning after the team's embarrassing 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The ESPN analyst has been ‘paid for commentary,’ as head coach Mike Tomlin put it, since he retired back in 2015. He is on television pretty much every day during football season, but is always under the spotlight a little more when he makes comments about his former team in Pittsburgh. He intends to be candid with his critical words and doesn't believe that his thoughts should be aired to the locker room and specifically the head coach.
ARLINGTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers talks to Ryan Clark #25 of the Pittsburgh Steelers as they play against the Green Bay Packers during Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium on February 6, 2011 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
To recap, Clark said that everything starts with Tomlin and implied that the team was not ready to play on Sunday:
"I can say this, he is my favorite football coach in the world, this starts with Coach Tomlin. You no longer have a Hall of Fame quarterback. You no longer have better players than the other team. You have to have this team ready to play."
At his weekly press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Tomlin was asked by ESPN NFL Nation reporter, Brooke Pryor what he thought about about the former player's comments and Clark was quick to comment on Twitter.
I think it’s stupid that players and coaches have to answer questions about what an analyst says on TV!
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) October 11, 2022
As far as players go, Pryor also asked wide receiver, Diontae Johnson on Monday what he made of the commentary and Clark's “alleged” comments that the Steelers quit on Sunday against Buffalo. To no surprise, Johnson was not pleased with the question:
"I’m not worried about RC [Ryan Clark], man. He played here, he know how the Steelers play. If he wanna come play, he can come help us win if he got so much to say. Other than that, I’m going to keep playing football and worry about me and my team.”
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Diontae Johnson (#18) catches a pass in warmups at Acrisure Stadium before a 2022 preseason game. | Jordan Schofield/ SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Clark was far from done discussing the topic and after getting into a small Twitter altercation with Pryor, accusing her of trying to start drama, went on ESPN Tuesday evening saying her question to Johnson was not warranted:
"The first thing is I hate that people inside the locker room have to answer for what analysts say. Brooke said that I said that they quit. I didn't say that they quit."
I'll own it, I've asked these Qs. To lift the curtain on why I ask, an explanation:
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 11, 2022
When the narrative is about shutting out noise, it makes me wonder if team/coach put different stock in criticism from a former player. Not trying to create drama, just trying to understand. https://t.co/D2DJXBRSvC
The former Super Bowl champion responded to Johnson as well, saying that he gave it all he had when he was in Pittsburgh:
"Here's what I do know, nobody has given the Steelers what I gave to them and I mean that literally. Nobody gave them their spleen, nobody gave them their gallbladder, nobody gave them a piece of their liver and that same person was willing to go back to Denver and play again, so I have a lot to say.""One, because I'm paid to say it and two, because I can say it more than anybody that's in that locker room. I should be irrelevant to you. What shouldn't be irrelevant is the way that game looked on Sunday. What shouldn't be irrelevant is dropping footballs, doing your dang job and helping your team score more than three points."
He finished by bluntly stating that Johnson is not giving it his all when he's on the field and he'll regret that when it comes time for him to hang up his cleats.
“I get it, I can't play no more, don't want to play no more. I do not miss football and I have not missed it a day because I gave every ounce of what I had to play the 13 years that God gave me. You need to make sure when you gotta give it up or they push you out, that you ain't gotta miss it because you gave everything that you had because right now, it don't look like that.”
Do you agree with Clark's comments and that Johnson doesn't look like he's giving it all he has on the field? Let us know in the comments below!
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