“You’re a Grown Damn Man,” Stephen A. Smith Unleashes on Tony Clark Following Major Scandal

Tony Clark would resign from his post as the executive director of the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) after reports revealed him of having an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law.

“You’re a Grown Damn Man,” Stephen A. Smith Unleashes on Tony Clark Following Major Scandal

Stephen A. Smith and Tony Clark (Image via Fox News/MLB)

Former MLB star Tony Clark found himself in hot water following the breakout of a major scandal. Popular sportscaster Stephen A. Smith would later unleash on him.

Clark, the ex-Detroit Tigers star, had been serving as the MLB Players Association (MLBPA)’s executive director. After joining the MLBPA staff in 2010, he became the executive director by succeeding the late Michael Weiner in 2013.

On Tuesday, a report from Jeff Passan and Don Van Natta Jr. rocked the baseball world. Clark would step down from his post after an internal investigation revealed that he had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law. As per Passan, he had hired her as a union employee in 2023.

This development came at a time when he was already under federal investigation. According to reports from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the 53-year-old had been under federal investigation by the Eastern District of New York since last year for alleged financial improprieties.

After the news broke, fans on social media went into a frenzy. While some made jokes, some blasted him for his actions.

Stephen A. Smith, who has commented several times on baseball matters, would share his thoughts on this on First Take. The 58-year-old was stunned by this and called out Clark.

Tony Clark…damn. This takes sibling rivalry to a new level. You’re a grown damn man! How do you let something like this happen? You’re 53 years old! Of all the people out there, your sister-in-law? Really? Damn. I mean, damnnn. Come on, y’all. There’s certain things you just don’t do.

Stephen A. Smith said regarding Tony Clark

Smith would even go after the woman mentioned in the reports. Her identity has not been revealed yet.

Who is that woman? Does she work in the MLB office?… We gotta stop victimizing and publicizing and putting the players on blast, but everybody else gets to hide.

Stephen A. Smith added regarding Tony Clark

The MLBPA was scheduled to begin their tour of Spring Training camps on Tuesday with a visit to the Cleveland Guardians camp. However, after this scandal became public, the tour was canceled and hours later, Clark resigned as the executive director.

Bruce Meyer appointed as interim MLBPA executive director following Tony Clark’s resignation

On Tuesday, the MLB world was left stunned with the sudden departure of Tony Clark as the executive director of the MLBPA. Bruce Meyer, who previously served as the deputy director, was later named as the interim executive director.

Tony Clark and Bruce Meyer
Tony Clark and Bruce Meyer (Image via Imago)

Meyer, a veteran labor lawyer, was hired by the MLBPA in 2018. He was the lead negotiator for the union during the COVID-19 pandemic. He played a major part and helped broker the 2022 labor deal which had caused a 99-day lockout.

The American international had previously also worked with the NBA, NHL and the NFL players’ unions. With Clark’s resignation, he is now the sixth executive director of the MLBPA.

As Meyer took up this role, the deputy director role was left vacant. Matt Nussbaum, who worked as the union’s general counsel, was thus named as the interim deputy director.

The timing of Clark’s scandal is something that left many worried. His resignation came just 10 months before the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) comes to an end in December.

In the past few months, the owners have been reported to be pushing for a salary cap. The MLB is the only Big 4 league not to feature a salary cap. Clark was expected to play a huge role in what is expected to be the largest labor battle in baseball since 1994, when the World Series got canceled.

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