Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Ryan Clark had some harsh words for NFL MVP Cam Newton after his interview with Jason Whitlock, who ended up taking several shots at ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. Newton invited Whitlock to his 4th & 1 podcast for a lengthy sit-down, where the veteran journalist accused Smith of lying about his background. Reacting to this conversation, Clark took to X and called out Newton’s loyalty.

“If someone shows you love, has you on “their” show twice a week… at least. You don’t bring his known enemy on your show and allow your guest to talk 💩 about a person. That’s not G at all. Loyalty is at a minimum these days,” Ryan Clark wrote on X.

Clark and Stephen A. Smith share an old friendship, as he has been an ESPN mainstay ever since joining the network as an NFL analyst in February 2015 on the same day he retired from professional football. Clark has been regular on NFL Live, Get Up,  SportsCenter, and First Take, which is hosted by Smith.

Similarly, Cam Newton, after he retired from the NFL, has grown into a regular in the sports broadcast space and even replaced NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe as First Take’s star football analyst, signing a new multi-year deal before the last football season.

Hence, when Newton brought on Jason Whitlock, who had a longstanding beef with Smith, Clark felt the need to call out the former Carolina Panthers quarterback to stay loyal to the person who had helped him in his second career.

Yet, after the ex-Steelers safety’s tweet, Cam Newton addressed the controversy, saying he only facilitated a conversation Whitlock was already pushing on his own platforms and that he shouldn’t have to fact-check guests or censor content for his viewers.

“You cannot allow people to come on your platform, and you control how it goes. You only can allow them to speak their truth how they know their truth to be,” Newton said. “And if you don’t know, you can respectfully say, ‘I don’t know if this is true or not.’ So when Stephen A. says, ‘You didn’t hammer down on the question.’ I didn’t know that it was a lie.”

While Newton has shared his side of the story after being called out by Ryan Clark, Stephen A. Smith also took time to react to the controversy and hit back at his old rival, Jason Whitlock, for his scathing comments.

Stephen A. Smith slams Jason Whitlock after his 4th & 1 podcast appearance

After Jason Whitlock called Stephen A. Smith a “fraud” during his appearance on Cam Newton’s podcast, the ESPN veteran was quick to issue a rebuttal for his comments. Smith and Whitlock share a long-standing beef as the latter has accused the First Take host of being a “prop” or an “industry plant” installed by white executives to push specific narratives, often referring to him as a “low-character.”

Hence, Stephen A. Smith went on a charged-up rant, calling out Jason Whitlock for his comments.

“Let them prove it. I’m a fraud? How? What facts do you have?” Smith said. “I’m sitting there doing an interview with Graham Bensinger the other day, and I talked about how growing up as a teenager, I saw a few people get murdered…I’m lying about that, according to Jason Whitlock, like he was in Hollis, Queens, New York, 40-plus years ago. How would he know? I’m a fraud. How do you know? I didn’t write my own book, how do you know? If you’re gonna bring me up and you’re somebody that’s in my inner circle and you talk to me, grill them. Don’t just let them talk smack.”

Similarly, Smith also had some words for Cam Newton, as he criticized the former NFL MVP for not asking his guests proper questions during an interview.

“Cam Newton, next time, my brother, cause you know I love you, you gonna interview somebody and bring me up? Don’t just sit there and let them talk s—. Ask questions,” Smith said.

The drama surrounding Cam Newton’s podcast has exposed a deeper tension between loyalty and free speech in sports media. With Ryan Clark, Stephen A. Smith, and Jason Whitlock all weighing in, it is clear this feud is far from over.