Former NFL DB and now media personality Ryan Clark came under fire recently for his Shedeur Sanders take, stopping short of calling out the NFL and the Cleveland Browns for intentionally sabotaging the former Colorado star QB.
That didn't sit well with some, even though Clark's comments were completely rational. Since many cannot be rational when it comes to Shedeur or the entire Sanders family, it's challenging for the supporters to not come out in full force every time something is said that can be perceived as negative.
Clark recently released a video on Instagram defending his take on Sanders.
“For all the people that called me a sellout throughout the week for my analysis on Shedeuer Sanders…I do wanna say something to you sincerely from the bottom of my heart: and that’s kiss my ass," Clark said.
“I’m not gonna holler sabotage and racism when I don’t truly believe something is sabotage and racism. I did have a problem with the way that Shedeur Sanders was covered in the pre-draft process; the anonymous reports demeaning a young man’s character who had never done anything wrong away from the field, had never shown anything but leadership. I felt that part of that was the attack of a young, confident, brash young black man."
Clark agrees with the ardent Sanders supporters who believe he was unfairly covered in the pre-draft process. A kid who has never gotten into any real trouble off the field has consistently been under media fire from the jump because of the reasons Clark listed above. People have always had a problem with his confidence. It's considered arrogant when it comes from Sanders; it was confident when it came from guys like Johnny Manziel and Joe Burrow.
He is rarely covered or talked about fairly. That's why his supporters are so quick to defend him and call people out who don't believe the grand conspiracy trying to keep him from becoming a success in the NFL.
Ryan Clark understands the uphill battle Sanders faces in the NFL
Like Sanders is currently doing, Clark had to fight, scratch, and claw his way into the NFL. Sanders was at least drafted. Clark was not. The former LSU DB took an undrafted path into the NFL before carving out a 12-year NFL career that included a Pro Bowl appearance and a Super Bowl ring.
Clark knows that opportunities for guys who are drafted in later rounds or not drafted at all are harder to come by, no matter what your name is. He understands it because he lived it.
"Fifth-round draft picks get fifth-round treatment, even if we don’t feel like they deserve to be drafted in the fifth round. So you’re gonna play with some guys who don’t make the team. You know who else you’re going to play against? Some guys that don’t make the team. As an undrafted guy, I understand that I wasn’t going to get the reps as the fifth-rounders or the sixth-rounders. Just as I understand, Shedeur Sanders will not get the same reps as a Dillon Gabriel," Clark said.
The Browns received a ton of criticism from Sanders' supporters over his reps in the Browns' preseason finale. It felt like he was being thrown to the wolves and not given the same opportunity as Dillon Gabriel was. But Clark is correct that Gabriel was drafted two full rounds ahead of Sanders, meaning as things stand, the organization views him as a better prospect.
That doesn't excuse the fact that Sanders didn't get to go back out for the final drive of the game with valuable two-minute reps available. Instead, head coach Kevin Stefanski pulled Sanders and inserted soon-to-be-cut Tyler Huntley instead. It was moves like that, more than who he was playing alongside of, that threw up red flags about how the Browns' organization is handling his development.
And that part is fair to question. The Browns are certainly not above reproach. For years, they've been one of the worst-run organizations in pro sports. They have made countless mistakes. Many believe they are making a mistake with how they are handling Sanders, too.
That doesn't mean that the former Colorado QB is above criticism, either. He has been mature throughout the process and has admitted that he has plenty to work on to become the type of player that he has the potential to be.
I don't believe the Browns are intentionally sabotaging Sanders. If they wanted to do that, then they wouldn't have drafted him to begin with. They were the one organization that was willing to give him an opportunity.
But I also don't believe they are the best organization for his development, either. They have a track record of poorly handling the maturation of young players over the years. There's a long trail of busts to prove it.
For better or worse, they're the team tasked with it, though. Because they were the ones to give him a shot when everyone else wouldn't.