America Divided Over Ryan Clark as Shedeur Sanders Comments Trigger Calls for ESPN Firing Before NFL Draft

The 2025 NFL Draft is coming up. And the league is heating up faster than we imagined. Caught in the crossfire is the ESPN analyst Ryan Clark. He created a storm with his comments on the top prospect of the draft, Shedeur Sanders. It was unthinkable.

We have seen the Combine press conferences. Cam Ward was more about his struggle to become an ace QB. However, Sanders was more about being the Sanders family and changing the culture of the franchise. So, there’s a basic difference in their attitudes. But Ryan Clark went into a different topic altogether. His comments spread like wildfire, dividing the nation into two parts.

He made an extraordinary claim, bringing the volatile topic back into discussion. While talking about the NFL pick order on the March 12 episode of the NFL on ESPN show, Clark said, “It’s not just about him being Deion Sanders’s son, it’s about the bravado he carries. It’s about the fact that he looks a certain way; it is about the fact that the color of his skin sometimes at that position can be questioned. And I believe Shedeur Sanders is going to have to deal with that until he gets on the field.” That’s what created a mess.

Shedeur is more than just color. He is a rare talent. In his 4 years of college football career, he had a consistent 150+ passer rating. As Colorado Buffaloes’ QB, he had a completion rate of 74 with 37 touchdowns for 4134 yards in the 2024 season. Over all Shedeur’s skills, Clark chose to speak about his color.

The race undertone in his message divided the country into 2 parts. One side defended the analyst, while the other side took shots at him.

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There’s a reason I don’t watch ESPN the NFL or NBA anymore. Not going to pay to support a...more

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Ryan Clark splits America with Shedeur Sanders’ comment

One person went into the nuances of his statement and made a breakthrough claim. He wrote, “At no point in this segment did RC say the word racist. He said the color of his skin could be a question because of the position he plays, he didn’t say it was he said it could be.” But he wasn’t the only one.

Another person analyzed various studies conducted over the years that highlighted biases between white and Black quarterbacks. He cited The Howard Journal of Communications, which, between 1997 and 2008, found that analysts measured Black quarterbacks primarily by their physical attributes, while they assessed white quarterbacks based on intellectual capabilities. He also cited a 2015 Journal of Sports Economics study showing that coaches benched Black quarterbacks 1.98 to 2.46 times more often than white quarterbacks.

However, some others took the discussion into a different scenario. A supporter of Ryan Clark compared the future of the 47th POTUS to his black version and said, A Ryan Clark supporter said, “The point wasn’t that Black QBs can’t fall in the draft lol,” while comparing the 47th POTUS’s future to his Black counterpart.

Another fan praised Ryan Clark for his skills and wrote, “RC is their best football analyst, by a good margin…” He is good. But his viewpoint is sometimes hard to digest. Another supporter tweeted, “What did he day that was wrong??? The goal post is always being moved, and I don’t see a problem with him pointing that out,” praising the ESPN analyst for calling the bias out.

Though many netizens supported Ryan’s comments, some spoke against them as well. Clark’s words sounded racist to them.

Taking shots at him and ESPN, one person wrote, “The only way you can be employed by @ESPN is if you race bait like a clown. Which Ryan Clark is.” That comment sounded like: Fire Clark right away.

Another person took a mean jibe at the Super Bowl winner. He wrote, “He’s an angry little fella.” Translation: he was unhappy with his life. Is that the case? He is a great analyst, though, and living a good life. Another angry fan couldn’t contain his emotions while replying, “This idiot and ESPN can go —- themselves.”

Shedeur Sanders had shown an attitude in the Combine press conference. But it’s not a hidden fact that his father, Deion Sanders, has a huge role in his career. So, Ryan Clark, claiming the teams will have a bias because of him being black, applies to Cam Ward, too. Another fan called him for his firing and asked, “How does he still have a job? He is the reason people don’t watch.” That one had tones of anger as well.

A few fans, disgruntled by the network for airing out such shows, wrote, “ESPN’s morning shows are pretty much unwatchable.” While no one would want the wrath of fans, it could be another way of getting publicity.

However, such things will get them a bad rap from the football fans who are eagerly waiting for the draft. Like each year, they want to see new talent on the gridiron.