Ryan Clark Takes Some Time on ESPN to Slam Roger Goodell

No one’s impacted by that uncertainty more than NFL players themselves, and it just so happened that ESPN’s First Take had one on set today – Steelers safety, and players union rep, Ryan Clark.

Clark hasn’t been shy about criticizing the NFL in the past, and that continued Wednesday – particularly in his assessment of commissioner Roger Goodell.

Mainly, Clark seemed upset at what he saw as Goodell’s propensity to put PR stunts above resolving relevant issues: “Roger Goodell finds some way to show his face to the fans…but it’s never with facts about what’s going on behind closed doors.” He even drew an unfavorable comparison to former commissioner Paul Tagliabue: “Paul Tagliabue was a guy [who’s] gonna get people in the room [who] can make decisions, whereas throughout these negotiations…[Goodell] has to leave for hours to make conference calls and call people who can make decisions.” Clark even noted that he thought Tagliabue was viewed as a “real man.”

“Instead of saying, ‘You know what, guys, we’re gonna hold the schedule off until we can figure out this situation – until we can make sure that the fans have football this year,’ no: ‘We’re gonna put the schedule out and find another way to put my face on TV.’”