Calls Mount for ESPN to Fire Ryan Clark Over Kyren Lacy ‘Innocent’ Remark – “How Many More Apologies Until They Fire Him?”

Ryan Clark labeled deceased LSU wideout Kyren Lacy as 'innocent' after first reviewing edited footage of the crash from the latter's lawyer.

Calls Mount for ESPN to Fire Ryan Clark Over Kyren Lacy ‘Innocent’ Remark – “How Many More Apologies Until They Fire Him?”

Kyren Lacy and Ryan Clark (Image via The Shade Room/X/Imago)

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Kyren Lacy‘s suicide ruffled some feathers in both the justice system and the football community, with the likes of Ryan Clark voicing opinion after the former’s attorney brought out new proof of his involvement.

His attorney used slowed-down footage to show that Lacy was 70+ yards behind the two vehicles that collided. He claimed that his deceased client had no direct involvement in the accident and should have been cleared.

Soon after, body cam footage from the arresting officer became public, and many interpreted that the officer had coerced the wideout into admitting before looking at the evidence.

Soon, members of the media, including the Super Bowl champion, voiced out their frustrations and particularly pointed out the possibility of this being racial profiling on the part of the arresting officer.

Ryan Clark believed the justice system had failed the young, budding star, and the arrest stopped not only his chances of a career in the NFL but also his life.

Then, new footage revealed that Kyren Lacy’s actions did indeed cause the crash that killed 78-year-old veteran Herman Hall. Soon after, Ryan Clark, while appearing on First Take, said this:

On Monday night’s SportsCenter, I addressed the horrific car crash that took Mr. Hall’s life, and also the subsequent tragic events that led to the death of Kyren Lacy… But nothing matters to me more than the truth… I failed to do that Monday night based on the subsequent evidence that has been released by the Louisiana State Police Department.

Ryan Clark said

This was his official apology after earlier labeling his fellow Louisiana native as ‘innocent’, based on edited footage that his attorney released. But this apology did not sit well with fans.

Fans fume at ESPN and Ryan Clark for allowing him to continue

Football fans know that Ryan Clark often delves into racism and speaks against injustice stemming from it. At the same time, they know he can sometimes lean too much into it.

Over the past several months, they have also witnessed the former Pittsburgh Steelers star make questionable comments publicly, drawing unnecessary controversy to the sport.

Be it his war of words with Robert Griffin III, his ego-infused comments towards Peter Schrager, or this latest instance involving Kyren Lacy. Fans believe this is a pattern, and it is high time that ESPN addressed it.

They believe the former safety speaks with bias, which is hurting the network’s efforts to provide proper analysis. They hope ESPN fires him after this latest gaffe. Check out examples of those reactions below.

Ryan Clark does earn some brownie points for apologizing and owning up to his mistake. Had he not clarified his position, it could have led to something uglier. But now that he has owned his error in judgment, it is unlikely that the network can use this instance to let him go.

Pat McAfee also apologizes for misinformation on Kyren Lacy

The conversations surrounding Kyren Lacy’s suicide, then his involvement in the accident were not just confined to Ryan Clark. ESPN colleague Pat McAfee and his crew also addressed the incident.

New footage shows Kyren Lacy caused the crash
New footage shows Kyren Lacy caused the crash (Image via CFB Home/X)

However, once he saw the new footage and came to know about an African-American eyewitness who blamed Lacy for the crash, McAfee said this on his show:

Now, more video has been made available, and it shows even more context. It shows Kyren Lacy driving on the wrong side of the road and could have easily made the case that he caused the car to swerve and the tragic accident. We apologize for adding any more heat. We will continue to stay on top of the news breakings and this story. This is tragically sad and involves an athlete’s legacy.

Pat McAfee said

Scott Van Pelt also apologized on-air, which means three prominent ESPN personalities changed their opinion once the latest footage became available. In effect, this paints the network in a bad light.

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