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The war of words surrounding Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese escalated off the court this weekend when former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III suggested that Reese "hates" Clark following their latest WNBA showdown.
But not everyone agreed with that take, as former Pittsburgh Steelers star Ryan Clark was among the most vocal critics, calling out Griffin for what he believes was an irresponsible and divisive comment.
The latest chapter in the ongoing rivalry between Clark and Reese came during the Indiana Fever's 93-58 rout of the Chicago Sky on Saturday. In the third quarter, Clark delivered a hard foul on Reese, which was later upgraded to a flagrant 1.
Reese, clearly frustrated, reacted emotionally and had to be calmed down by teammates. The incident quickly sparked debate online about the nature of their relationship and whether their competitiveness had turned into personal animosity. Griffin III fanned the flames with a bold tweet.
"There is no way Angel Reese can continue the lie that she doesn't dislike Caitlin Clark. I know what hatred looks like. Angel Reese HATES Caitlin Clark," he wrote.
Ryan Clark accuses RGIII of feeding into "hero vs. villain" narrative
That post prompted swift backlash. Among the first to respond was former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, who accused Griffin of pushing a "negative narrative" about Reese.
But Ryan Clark took things even further, publicly calling out RGIII for what he saw as hypocrisy and a harmful portrayal of Reese.
"When RGIII jumps onto the hate train or to the angry train, it now follows along with what we saw from Keith Olbermann (who called Angel Reese a 'f***ing idiot') and what we saw from Dave Portnoy," Ryan Clark said.
"They poured onto Angel Reese to make her the villain in Caitlin Clark's hero story."
Clark's critique was aimed not just at Griffin's interpretation of the on-court drama, but at how that interpretation plays into a larger media narrative that pits Clark as the polished, beloved figure, and Reese as the emotional, aggressive antagonist.
According to Clark, that dichotomy is damaging-and Griffin should know better.
He also didn't hesitate to get personal. Clark brought up RGIII's previous behavior, particularly during their time together as co-workers at ESPN.
"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," Clark recalled.
"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 his skin is what makes her a good wife. I met the lady, I had a conversation with her; I think she's more than that."