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ESPN analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark is receiving attention for all the right reasons, lauded for extemporaneous comments made on live television in the wake of the life-threatening medical emergency suffered by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during the Bills-Bengals game on Monday, January 2.
Hamlin, 24, collapsed on the field moments after he tackled Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins with 5:58 remaining in the first quarter of the highly anticipated Week 17 matchup. The Pittsburgh-area native received immediate medical attention, including CPR, and was transported to the University of Cincinnati trauma center via ambulance, where he remains in critical condition after “suffering a cardiac arrest,” according to a Bills team update at 1:48 a.m. Eastern time.
The NFL postponed the contest about an hour after the initial incident, at which time Clark took to the air with colleague Scott Van Pelt to share his thoughts about what had transpired.
Ryan Clark: ‘This Isn’t About a Football Player, This Is About a Human’
What transpired was the start of what Timothy Bella of the Washington Post described as “amazing” commentary.
“So many times, in this game and in our job as well, we use the clichés, you know,” began Clark. “‘I’m ready to die for this. … I’m willing to give my life for this. … It’s time to go to war.’ … And I think sometimes we use those things so much, we forget that part of living this dream is putting your life at risk. And tonight we got to see a side of football that is extremely ugly — a side of football that no one ever wants to see or never wants to admit exists,” he added.
“When you see both teams on the field crying in that way, your first thought is Damar Hamlin. Your second thought is his family. And this isn’t about a football player, this is about a human. This is about a brother, this is about a son, this is about a friend. This is about someone who is loved by so many that you have to watch go through this,” continued the 43-year-old analyst, speaking about the former sixth-round pick, who was drafted by the Bills in 2021 out of the University of Pittsburgh.
Then Clark — who had a 13-year NFL career and played free safety for the Steelers from 2006 to 2013 — related his own personal experience with a life-or-death situation that played out for him and his Steelers teammates.
In October 2007, Clark — a carrier of a genetic abnormality (sickle cell trait) that can affect red blood cells — became gravely ill following a game at Denver. He was hospitalized for a month following that contest, lost 40 pounds and had to have his spleen and gall bladder removed.
“I’ve dealt with this before, and I watched my teammates — for days — come to my hospital bed and just cry. I had them call me and tell me they didn’t think I was going to make it and now this team (the Buffalo Bills) has to deal with that and they have no answers,” Clark said, before putting things in perspective for the average NFL fan.
“And so the next time that we get upset that our favorite fantasy player – or we are upset that the guy on our team doesn’t make the play and we’re saying he’s worthless … we should remember that these men are putting their lives on the line to live their dream. And tonight, Damar Hamlin’s dream became a nightmare not only for himself but his family and his entire team,” concluded Clark, who, along with his ESPN colleagues, has received accolades for his professionalism and often heartfelt and empathetic comments.
Ryan Clark’s Efforts Described as ‘Incredible,’ ‘Phenomenal’ & ‘Eloquent’
But it’s Clark who has arguably earned the most voluminous and effusive praise. For one, longtime New York Mets and former New York Islanders play-by-play man Howie Rose called Clark’s work “incredible” before assessing the ESPN team as a whole.
“Hard to stay as poised, eloquent and informative as so many on ESPN’s studio crew have, once they took over after postponement, in my opinion. Very difficult to be poignant and disseminate information as well as I feel they have. Riveted to coverage,” added Rose.
College basketball legend Dick Vitale described the efforts of Clark and colleague Lisa Salters as “amazing.”
Graham Coffey, co-founder of dawgscentral.com, tweeted: “Ryan Clark has been a star and was fantastic from the moment he was first put on television, but he’s been absolutely phenomenal tonight at giving us perspective on Damar Hamlin from so many angles.”
Andrew Filliponni of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh simply called Clark “the best at what he does.”
That said, one observer on Twitter perhaps summed things up best by saying: “Horrible night but would have been more distressing without Ryan Clark’s incredibly eloquent thoughts and words,” which were heard by millions on live television and have since been viewed millions of times on social media.
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