Ryan Clark is now an official line-stepper after his touchy comments about Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. On ESPN’s “NFL Live” on Tuesday, the former Steelers defensive back turned NFL analyst and podcaster joked about Tagovailoa’s weight, saying that “he looks heavy” and compared him to Atlanta strippers.
“He might spend much time in the tattoo parlor,” Clark said. “He was not at the dinner table eating what the nutritionist had advised. He looks ‘happy.’ He is thick. He’s built like the girls working at Onyx right now.”
Ouch, not an Atlanta strip club reference when discussing a whole man.
Keep My Name Out Your Mouth
When Tua Tagovailoa was asked about the comment after Wednesday’s practice, he gave Clark some scathing words through his perplexed state.
“He probably knows more about me than I know about myself,” Tagovailoa told reporters. “Ryan’s been out the league for some time, I don’t know; it’s a little weird when people are talking about other people when they’re not that person.
“My background is I come from a Samoan family. Respect is everything. It does get to a point where (I’m like) a little easy on that buddy.’ I think we are pretty tough-minded people, but if we need to get scrappy, we can get scrappy.”
Later, Tua would add to Clark, “I would appreciate it if you kept my name out your mouth.”
Extra … On Both Sides
Last season, Tua was in everyone’s prayers after suffering injuries on the field that brought the issue of CTE to the forefront. In 2022, during Week 3, he suffered a “back injury” that seemed more like a head injury. He suffered even more concussions In Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals and in Week 16 vs. the Green Bay Packers.
Former sympathizers like Ryan Clark are taking potshots that could be considered culturally offensive given Tagovailoa’s Samoan heritage. With the ESPN layoffs, Clark made the hiring cut, and his takes might be more egregious than usual to stay employed by a network trying to find the balance between off-the-cuff and professionalism in a more unscripted media world with more nontraditional voices.
However, as usual, Tua’s right hand, Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, came in the clutch to defend his gunslinger.
“Yeah what he said !!! We got free smoke for you,” Hill tweeted.
All of this energy ahead of the regular season. Football is back.
