ESPN analyst Ryan Clark says we cannot compare Jaxson Dart's introduction of President Trump to athletes who supported, say, Barack Obama.
According to Clark, it's different.
"Let’s be honest. Who you supported in 2008, 2012 is nowhere near as polarizing as who you support today," Clark said on his podcast.
"[Trump] has clearly picked a side, [and] standing next to him gives the impression that you have to. Which means you stand in direct opposition to the majority of your teammates," Clark continued.
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Clark acknowledged that Abdul Carter "should have handled things differently," but added that his "disappointment is understandable."
Polling data does show that Trump's presidency has, in fact, contributed to the nation's divide. I don't dispute that. However, the same can be said about Obama's presidency.
For Clark to describe 2008 and 2012 as if they were not politically divisive times reflects a serious misunderstanding of the era.
The same applies to his claim that Trump has "picked a side."
All politicians pick a side. That's part of the job. And if Clark is referring to race when he suggests Trump "stands in opposition" to most of the NFL, that argument is also based on faulty logic.
JAXSON DART FACES MORE BACKLASH FOR INTRODUCING TRUMP THAN NFL PLAYERS FACE FOR VIOLENT CRIMES
OutKick founder Clay Travis responded to Clark's comments on X.
"Trump had record-high Black male voting support, roughly one in four, and won Hispanic and white men. A majority of NFL players who voted likely supported him too. Almost all coaches and owners voted Trump. Yet sports media has spent a full week attacking Dart. Shameful and dishonest," Travis posted.
Clay also argued that sports media is disconnected from society at large because it so disproportionately supported Kamala Harris.
"Sports media voted 90-10 for Kamala. They hate athletes who support Trump in public. But what the majority chooses is not controversial. Period. Trump won the popular vote and an electoral landslide. You may not like him, but supporting him in public isn’t remotely controversial," he added.
More broadly, the fact that Clark spent this much time seriously dissecting Dart simply for introducing the sitting president tells you all you need to know.
Where is this level of scrutiny for Packers running back Josh Jacobs, who faces allegations of strangling and suffocating a woman? Or for the many active NFL players who have been arrested for committing violent crimes?
Simply put, Jaxson Dart did not create this controversy. Abdul Carter and members of the sports media did.
And the idea that publicly supporting Obama is acceptable while publicly supporting Trump is somehow beyond the pale speaks to the double standard that critics like Clark continue to apply.
