Clark takes on a bigger role at ESPN
Former Steelers safety is pundit and entertainer
Ryan Clark should be the poster boy for the value of internships.
The former Steelers safety prepared for retirement from professional football by taking an internship with ESPN in 2013, when he learned the ropes of being an NFL analyst. He continued on as both an active NFL player and an analyst-in-training through his retirement from playing in 2015. Clark has been a staple on “SportsCenter,” “Get Up” and other ESPN shows ever since.
That internship has vaulted Clark to a multiyear extension with the worldwide leader that will keep him on multiple shows year-round and give him the chance to develop content of his own for ESPN+.
“Having ESPN show me that this is my home and they are family in a sense was huge for me,” Clark told the Post-Gazette. “It invigorated and excited me more about being in the media and entertaining people, as well.”
Clark sees himself as a knowledgeable NFL pundit and as an entertainer who has grown adept at disseminating his football thoughts in a fun, engaging way. He always admired ESPN legends such as Chris Berman and the late Stuart Scott, who went about doing their jobs in a professional but unique manner.
“Ryan elevates everything he is around ... with his infectious personality,” Seth Markman, an ESPN vice president of production, said in a statement. “While his on-the-field play and broadcasting talent put him on our radar years ago, during his time with us, he has quickly become one of our most important voices.”
At this point, Clark has fully transitioned from player to pundit and will continue with his relatively new media career “as long as I enjoy it.” The fact that he reached a point where he was considering leaving ESPN for potential new media opportunities helped him decide that this is what he wants to be doing.
The 2011 Pro Bowler and Super Bowl XLIII champion has carved a niche for himself at ESPN as a blunt straight-talker who’s not afraid to criticize players or coaches when it’s warranted. That fearlessness comes from Clark’s confidence in his preparation skills and awareness of who he was as a player.
“The reason I can be critical is because I’m very honest about who I am,” he said. “I never sat at any desk and said I was [Hall of Fame Steelers safety] Troy Polamalu because I wasn’t. I was the guy who made sure Troy could do what he did. ... As long as I can back up what I say with film and statistics and experience, I can say whatever that film tells me.”
As a Black man, Clark also has become a powerful voice on the subject of race at ESPN. He never has shied away from those conversations, including in 2016 when he wore a Colin Kaepernick jersey on “Mike & Mike” weeks after the former 49ers quarterback first kneeled in protest during the national anthem.
“I think ESPN had to grow because now, more than ever, those social and political things have become a part of sports,” he said. “When you’re someone like me who’s been asked to speak at unity marches ... I live that stuff. As much as I live football, I also live in trying to bring communities together.”
One community that will never be far from his mind is Pittsburgh, though he hasn’t been here in a while because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of his former teammates are long gone, though he does keep in touch with defensive tackle Cam Heyward and linebacker Vince Williams. Clark also considers coach Mike Tomlin “an actual, real friend” and the two would always get dinner whenever they were in the same location.
His no-nonsense analysis of where the Steelers currently stand is that the organization is at “a decision-making point” in terms of whether giving longtime quarterback Ben Roethlisberger another year at the helm will set back the franchise’s Super Bowl dreams.
“Pittsburgh is about team-building and championships,” Clark said. “Nobody cares if they make it to the wild-card round. The reason they hung their hats on Sixburgh was because people in Pittsburgh and the organization care about being the best and about doing that the right way. I think they’ve kind of gotten away from the Steeler way and they need to find their way back.”
Don’t let that friendly advice obscure that Clark knows he owes a lot of his ESPN success to his time in the Steel City.
“I know I don’t have this job and this opportunity if I wasn’t a Pittsburgh Steeler,” he said. “So I’m forever grateful.”