Tyrese Haliburton’s game-tying buzzer beater, coupled with his 31-point performance in the Indiana Pacers’ overtime victory against the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, made for an unpleasant night for ESPN’s Ryan Clark.
The NFL analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers safety has faced criticism for questioning ex-colleague Robert Griffin III about his interracial marriage.
Thus, when the biracial Haliburton defeated the Knicks with his white girlfriend present at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, Clark’s social media critics couldn’t resist making the same recurring joke.
‘Tyrese Haliburton, who is married to a white woman, just led the Pacers to an epic comeback in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals,’ one wrote on X. ‘Tough night for Knicks fans & Ryan Clark.’
‘Tyrese Haliburton and his girl,’ another wrote alongside a photo of the couple embracing. ‘Don’t show Ryan Clark.’
Another asked: ‘Gonna go off on him, too, Ryan Clark?’
Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) makes a choke motion towards the Knicks’ bench
Clark’s social media critics couldn’t help but make the same joke about Haliburton, more or less
Ryan Clark is facing accusations of racism after criticizing Robert Griffin III’s mixed marriage
Haliburton and his girlfriend Jade Jones have been together for six years since meeting at Iowa State, where she was a cheerleader and he was a star on the Cyclones basketball team.
And while Haliburton has drawn criticism for his choking celebration on Tuesday, his recent ‘big balls’ dance, and his father’s on-court confrontation with Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, the couple has avoided any other controversies.
Clark, meanwhile, is facing accusations of racism, for his remarks about Griffin’s marriage, and hypocrisy, because he actually has his own biracial daughter.
‘I didn’t know this was news, but since other people want to talk about her… This is my first born Jaden,’ Clark wrote on X Wednesday alongside photos from across his college-age daughter’s life. ‘My God she’s beautiful. All of her!’
By itself, Clark’s post wouldn’t have caused an uproar. But after attacking Griffin’s credibility over his marriage to a white woman, Clark has been hammered on social media.
‘I got called out for being a racist jerk, which I absolutely am, so here are some pictures of my biracial daughter,’ one critic wrote on X, offering a summary of Clark’s position.
Haliburton is seen with his college sweetheart, Jade, after winning gold in Paris last summer
Clark dismissed Griffin’s criticism of Angel Reese because he’s married to a white woman
Clark posted photographs of young Jaden on social media amid accusations of racism
Jaden is pictured with family after graduating from San Francisco in 2023. Clark is seen in back
Some fans suggested that Ryan Clark was struggling to control himself after the Pacers’ win
Another critic asked Clark a question about his daughter: ‘Is she allowed to have opinions about blackness or do we have to wait and see whom she marries first?’
‘I hope she never finds out how much you hate half of her,’ one X user added.
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 week 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.’
In response to one shot of Jaden in a short dress, Clark wrote: ‘Where your clothes bruh?’
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.’
It did not end there, however, with Clark replying: ‘Bruh you know what it is with me and you! I saved you the entire season on MNF. I urged people to let you be you. No matter how corny, how bad a teammate you were I had your back.
‘What did you do? Invite someone on your show you know I don’t fool with to ask questions about me, and then hit me weeks later to tell me you’re gonna challenge one of my takes!
‘You’re a phony bro. One of the worst teammates I ever had both on the field and in TV. You gotta do what you gotta do. I didn’t attack your wife. I spoke on what you do on social media and TV. Like I said. I met your wife and she seemed like a lovely lady that was worth more than the color of her skin! You be good bruh.’
Clark’s tirade didn’t stop the accusations of racism, and on Wednesday, he shared pictures of Jaden online.
‘Maybe, the news in light of this week is that she’s biracial,’ Clark wrote Wednesday on X. ‘So? She is a perfect part of my God given experience, & the sum of those experiences make me who I am!’
Young Jaden is pictured alongside Ryan Clark during his days as an NFL safety
To many, though, Clark is either a hypocrite, racist or both.
‘You cannot have a child without a mother,’ one commenter wrote. ‘Don’t skip how great and crucial her white mother has been in both your lives. Don’t dismiss that part when celebrating your daughter. Then you might see the humanity in RG3 wife and family also.’
Jaden’s own Instagram account includes pictures of her 2023 graduation from the University of San Francisco, where both her white and black relatives appeared to be on hand, as well as some more risqué shots.
In response to one shot of Jaden in a short dress, Clark wrote: ‘Where your clothes bruh?’
While Clark identified his daughter as biracial, Jaden did tag her graduation shots with: ‘#blackgirlmagic.’
