ESPN's Ryan Clark issues apology after heated face-off with co-host Peter Schrager 'both on and off the air'

Ryan Clark's regrettable week didn't get any better Friday and now the ESPN star and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety has issued an apology to one colleague while vowing to focus on his 'professionalism.'

Already facing criticism for claiming that retired quarterbacks Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning were not 'generational talents' at the position, Clark dug his hole a bit deeper on Friday by attacking co-host Peter Schrager's background.

Specifically, Clark took issue with Schrager – a new ESPN hire with extensive reporting experience at Fox Sports and NFL Network – because he didn't play college or professional football.

During a heated debate on ESPN's 'Get Up' about Dallas' CeeDee Lamb and Philadelphia's AJ Brown, Clark silenced his co-hosts and addressed Schrager.

'We shouldn't do this on TV,' Clark said. 'I apologize if people think this is rude — that's the non-player in you.'

Schrager immediately rejected that argument.

'Stop,' Schrager said. 'I'm not looking at fantasy football. Ryan, don't belittle me like that. I can come and say as three ex-players are saying one thing, and give an alternative perspective.'

Clark, though, wasn't finished.

'What I need you to do is to not get mad and let me finish for one,' he told Schrager, who obliged. 'It wasn't about you, it was going to be about me.'

Clark went on to explain his perspective on Lamb's 110-yard, four-drop performance in a loss to Philadelphia, and the tension ultimately dissipated from the ESPN studio in Manhattan.

Since then, Clark has issued an apology over the incident, while alluding to something else that happened off air between himself and Schrager.

'Today, I had an interaction with my colleague [Peter Schrager] both on and off the air that I regret,' Clark wrote on X. 'I have apologized to Peter and taken accountability with ESPN leadership. I value working with Peter and look forward to this season. My focus will remain on professionalism, teamwork, and being a better teammate moving forward.'

Daily Mail has reached out to ESPN spokespeople for comment.

Clark has faced considerable criticism in 2025 due to his recent quarterback comments and a previous remark questioning his former colleague Robert Griffin III's racially mixed marriage.

Both African-American former NFL stars, Clark and Griffin actually played together in Washington briefly before becoming coworkers at ESPN, where Griffin was fired and replaced by Jason Kelce in 2024.

Despite their shared history, Clark ignited a feud with Griffin earlier this year by dismissing his criticism of African-American Chicago Sky star Angel Reese because of the ex-quarterback's mixed marriage. Reese and white WNBA rival Caitlin Clark clashed during the season-opener, with Griffin III accusing the Sky power forward of 'hate'.

That sparked a controversial response from Clark, who claimed Griffin 'is not having conversations at his home about what black women have to endure in this country.'

'You haven't been able to do that because in both of your marriages you've been married to white women,' Clark said on his podcast Monday.

Clark's attacks continued against Griffin, who is married to Estonian heptathlete Grete Griffin.

'When I worked with RGIII, he would make all of these sort of corny jokes about milk and how much he loved it and how important it was and he always points out on social media the color of his wife's skin, as if the color of her skin is what makes her special, as if the color of her skin is what makes her a good wife,' Clark said on his podcast Monday.

'I've met the lady,' Clark added. 'I've had a conversation with her. I think she's more than that, but it also leads to what black women deal with a lot from black men, who have chosen to date or marry outside of their race.'

The 35-year-old responded to Clark with an angry post on Monday night. He called out Clark for 'personally attacking me and my family' in a lengthy statement on X.

'There's a line you don't cross in life and Ryan Clark sprinted past it.

'Ryan Clark didn't like my take on Angel Reese hating Caitlin Clark. That's fine. Disagreement is part of the game. But instead of debating my point, he personally attacked me and my family. That shows how low of person he is.'

Clark would later apologize for his remark.

'If I had to do address [Griffin[ again I wouldn't include his wife,' Clark wrote on X in May. 'She didn't need to be made an example of in order to make my point. I could have easily pointed to the positive impact a connection with black women had on the way you see, understand, & treat them.'