Jason Kelce’s former ESPN co-star Ryan Clark has jumped to his defense after the Philadelphia Eagles legend came under fire for using ‘we’ to describe his former team.
Kelce committed an analyst’s cardinal sin during ESPN’s broadcast of the Monday Night Football game between the Eagles and the Chicago Bears.
The former center, who won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia, appeared to forget that he hung his cleats up two years ago and was no longer suiting up for the Eagles.
While delivering his verdict on Philadelphia’s performance, with the Eagles trailing 10-7 at halftime, the retired football player continuously referred to the team as ‘we.’
‘It’s 10-7. I feel pretty good going into the half,’ he began. ‘We played really well offensively. We had opportunities. We shot ourselves in the foot, but we’ve moved the ball. We’ve ran the ball well. Jalen Hurts is throwing the ball well.
‘I think, you know, them getting the ball coming out of half. I got a feeling they got a lot of momentum going away.’
Jason Kelce broke the golden rule of being an analyst during ESPN’s Monday Night Football
The Philadelphia Eagles legend repeatedly referred to his former team as ‘we’ at halftime
Kelce has since come in for criticism for his obvious bias but Clark, a former Pittsburgh Steelers safety who was part of the Monday Night Countdown panel alongside Kelce, Marcus Spears and host Scott Van Pelt, has rushed to his defense.
‘I’m trying to mind my own, but hell yea it’s “We” Future Hall of Famer!! You’re a legend, Jason Kelce,’ Clark said in a post on X.
‘Blood, sweat, tears, & glory in Philly. No one can take that away. You can still do your job the right way! Bump anyone saying differently,’
Clark was dismissed by ESPN during a recording of NFL Live this summer, prompting him to drop his satellite feed early.
TMZ later reported that Clark was going to be notified about his dismissal at a later date, but the network became aware of an impending story on the news and decided to tell him during the NFL Live broadcast.
Clark and ESPN agreed it was better for him not to complete the episode, according to TMZ, which stressed that he was not forced off the air.
Clark has since claimed ESPN was trying to humiliate him with the way the network fired him and accused the Worldwide Leader of leaking the news to Fox News’ conservative sports website, OutKick, in an elaborate attempt to get him off the air during a live broadcast.
The 46-year-old has been criticized by conservatives over his opinions on race in sports.
Kelce’s former co-star Ryan Clark insisted the Eagles legend had every right to call them ‘we’
Kelce’s error was quickly called out by his new ESPN colleague Pat McAfee, who also previously played in the NFL as a punter for the Indianapolis Colts.
‘A lot of we talk out of Jason for Philly,’ the ESPN star quipped.
Kelce was quick to apologize for his slip up, saying: ‘Sorry Bears fans! Did I say we?’
Kelce is in his third season serving as an analyst for ESPN after retiring from football at the end of the 2023 season.
He spent his entire 13-year NFL career with the Eagles, establishing himself as a legend in the City of Brotherly Love.
The former center won the Super Bowl with the team under Doug Pederson, beating the New England Patriots in 2018.
