The analyst addressed Monday’s SportsCenter segment and said he failed to share complete, accurate information
ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark appeared on First Take on Thursday, his first TV appearance since his misleading monologue about Kyren Lacy on Monday night’s SportsCenter. He apologized for getting it wrong.
“I always strive to do my best to mix authenticity with the most complete and up-to-date information available. I failed to do that on Monday night based on the subsequent evidence that has been released by the Louisiana State Police Department,” Clark said. “I set the highest standards of fairness and, most importantly, righteousness, in my work. I didn’t meet that standard.”
Clark added that he had since reached out to both the Louisiana State Police and Lacy’s defense attorney to gather more information about the tragic incident.
“It’s always important to me that I gather all factual and important information to provide the complete story. That’s a responsibility that I do not take lightly. And when discussed in real time on Monday evening, I failed to do so. And for that, I apologize,” Clark concluded.
For the record, Clark’s initial comments on Monday night’s SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt remain up on Clark’s X page and the video has garnered nearly six million views as of publication.
“Guys, Kyren Lacy was supposed to be in the NFL,” Clark said on Monday night. “Kyren Lacy was accused of something and being investigated for something that he didn’t do. And he died having to live with the guilt and the consequences of a guilty man, knowing he was innocent.”
ESPN’s Ryan Clark apologized on First Take for his Monday SportsCenter remarks about Kyren Lacy after new evidence from Louisiana State Police surfaced.
(Imagn Images)
Clark also accused the Louisiana police of misconduct related to Lacy’s role in the car crash that claimed the life of 78-year-old Vietnam veteran Herman Hall.
“It recently was discovered that he was 72 yards away from the crash, that police and state policemen tried to coerce and doctor and use ways to manipulate statements that put this young man behind bars,” Clark said.
ESPN Personalities Apologize for Kyren Lacy Comments
Three prominent ESPN talents – Clark, Scott Van Pelt and Pat McAfee – have now apologized for overreacting to selective evidence released by Kyren Lacy’s defense attorney over the weekend. Van Pelt appeared on set with Clark during the latter’s initial commentary and McAfee talked about the evidence on his own show on Monday.
On Wednesday, following the release of additional evidence by the Louisiana State Police, both McAfee and Van Pelt took responsibility for their respective words on Monday.
“We try to cover news that we feel is good for people to learn, to potentially provide more context,” Pat McAfee said during Wednesday’s show. “On Monday, we learned of a video that was made publicly available by Kyren Lacy’s lawyer. We thought it showed more context to the accident that led to the tragic loss of two lives: Herman Hall and Kyren Lacy, who ended up killing himself because of the fallout that he was accused.
“We thought we had more context. Now, more video has been made available and it shows even more context. It shows Kyren Lacy driving on the wrong side of the road and could have easily made the case that he caused the car to swerve and the tragic accident. We apologize for adding any more heat. We will continue to stay on top of the breaking news and this story. This is tragically sad and involves an athlete’s legacy.”
Van Pelt delivered a similar sentiment on Wednesday night.
“Lacy faced several charges, including felony negligent homicide, but died by suicide days before a grand jury was set to convene — meaning his guilt or innocence will never be determined in a criminal court. The one certainty here is that this was a senseless tragedy in December, magnified by a second life lost in April. I apologize for the incomplete reaction that aired on this show Monday night,” the SportsCenter host said.
Hopefully, this story can serve as an important learning moment for everyone in the media. It doesn’t behoove anyone to jump to conclusions or make rash judgments based on incomplete information.
