Ryan Clark apologizes to Tua Tagovailoa after comparing the Dolphins QB’s behind to that of a stripper

ESPN NFL analyst and former player Ryan Clark has apologized to Tua Tagovailoa during a video posted to X on Thursday.

Clark had sparked controversy when he summed up Tagovailoa’s performance against Houston in Saturday’s 28-3 win in the penultimate game of the preseason on a recent taping from ESPN’s NFL live.

During the segment, Clark made fun of the ex-Alabama quarterback, implying that he hasn’t trained enough this offseason and that his butt looks like a stripper’s.

“If I have offended you, Tua, if I have hurt you, if I have disrespected you, if someone who supports you and loves you feels somehow because of what I have said, then I sincerely apologize,” Clark said on X.

“I had two priorities when I started this job,” Clark said of joining ESPN after a thirteen-year NFL career.

‘No. 1 – respect the players, executives and coaches who keep this game going. No. 2 – it was earning the respect of those same people, more importantly; keeping it. If there’s anything to the contrary, then I have to check myself.’

Clark added his oral apology in written form, alongside the video on Elon Musk’s platform.

“I have a responsibility to those players to be considerate in the way I present my opinion of them,” he wrote.

“By making a joke about Tua Tagovailoa, I didn’t take that responsibility. It was never my intention to question Tua’s work ethic or dedication to the game, but I’m also aware enough to know that intent doesn’t always match impact. How something is presented is not always how it is received by everyone.

“I do my best to be honest in the performance of my work and to be honest when I fall short. I fell short on Monday and for that I sincerely apologize.’

On Wednesday, Tagovailoa responded to Clark’s diss at his Dolphins press conference, revealing that he thought the recording was “weird” and went all Will Smith on Clark.

“I’d appreciate it if you kept my name out of your mouth,” Tagovailoa said. ‘That’s what I’d say.

“It’s kind of weird when other people talk about other people when they’re not that person. It’s just a little weird. My background is that I come from a Samoan family.

“Respect is everything, but it does get to a point where ‘Hey, that’s kinda easy, buddy.’ I think we are pretty down to earth people, and if we need to get happy, we can get sloppy too. Just say it.

Tagovailoa has been working this season to build muscle in a bid to better protect himself after suffering two concussions during the 2022 season that left his football future in doubt.

“We’ve all worked hard all through the off-season and I’m not one to talk about myself all the time, but it takes a lot. Do you think I wanted to build all this muscle? No. To some extent I wanted to be a little lighter. Don’t know.

“There’s a mix of things that people don’t understand, that people don’t know about, that are being talked about, that are going on behind the scenes.”