American former football safety and NFL analyst Ryan Clark is currently facing backlash after his recent shot at Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry. The controversy stems from Landry’s proposal to erect a statue of the late conservative political activist Charlie Kirk on the Louisiana State University campus.“We’re going to put a challenge out to the LSU Board of Supervisors to find a place to put a statue of Charlie Kirk to defend the freedom of speech on college campuses,” Landry said earlier this week while standing next to the Mike the Tiger statue near Tiger Stadium.On the October 30 episode of ESPN’s First Take, Clark weighed in on Landry’s comment. According to Ryan, it was a “ridiculous” proposal as the Turning Point USA founder does not represent the people of Louisiana, or the students, players, and executives at LSU.“This is the second most ridiculous thing he said this week,” Clark said about Landry’s remark that he wouldn’t allow LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward to hire recently fired head coach Brian Kelly’s replacement.Ryan continued, “The first was standing on campus and saying he wanted to put a statue of somebody that doesn’t represent the people of Louisiana, doesn’t represent the players, students at LSU, doesn’t represent the executives that work there. That was the first dumb thing he said this week.”While he didn’t mention Charlie Kirk by name, Ryan Clark’s comment has sparked online outrage. Calls to fire the NFL analyst from ESPN have surfaced across social media platforms, including X. Here are some of the reactions from the platform:“So, a politician needs to stay in his lane. But an athlete can talk politics all he wants! GTFO!” a user wrote.“@espn Ryan Clark needs to go. The ultimate race baiter does nothing for the network but sew division based on falsehoods. You’ve given him multiple 2nds. Plenty of well-spoken ex-NFL players are capable of filling the seat and can better contribute to the football conversation,” another user wrote.“This is why I don't watch ESPN anymore. How does Ryan Clark keep his job after what he just said about Charlie Kirk?” a netizen asked.“Hopefully, this is the nail in the coffin. Dude can't separate his podcast from ESPN,” another netizen wrote.Meanwhile, others defended Ryan Clark by claiming that he didn’t mention Charlie Kirk by name and was responding to Louisiana Governor Landry’s comments.“This is dumb. He didn’t trash Charlie Kirk at all. He simply stated that a Christian political activist doesn’t necessarily belong being idolized and attached to a top-tier football program. I love Charlie, I love what he stood for, but Ryan is not wrong here,” a person wrote.“I don’t like Ryan Clark, but he is spot on. I am a lifelong Louisianan. Charlie Kirk did nothing for or at LSU. Why a statue not just at LSU but in Louisiana? Put the statue at his Alma Mater, not mine. Makes no sense! If he went to the school, then yeah, but NO!” one person wrote.“WHAT THE F**K did he say about Charlie? I have to be missing something because he was talking about the Louisiana governor,” wrote another.Clark hasn’t responded to the backlash yet.Governor Jeff Landry @LAGovJeffLandryLINKI’m calling on @LSU to honor the legacy of Charlie Kirk by putting up a statue of him on campus. There is no better warrior for free speech than Charlie Kirk, and we must continue his legacy on every campus in America. 🇺🇸Ryan Clark faced another backlash earlier this monthOn October 7, 2025, Ryan Clark appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter football postgame show with Scott Van Pelt. During the segment, he claimed that the late LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy wasn’t guilty of the fatal car accident that killed 78-year-old Herman Hall in December 2024.Ryan sided with Lacy’s defense lawyer and called out Louisiana investigator Tyler Werner for his seemingly biased take on the case. The ESPN broadcaster even called Werner a “criminal” and insinuated that he was a racist, according to OutKick.Lacy himself died by suicide in April this year before a grand jury could try him on the charge of felony negligent homicide. According to authorities, there is video evidence proving that Kyren was driving at full speed in the wrong lane, hitting Hall.In the wake of outrage and calls for a boycott, Clark issued an apology two days later, saying that he spoke too soon.Earlier this year, the former New York Giants player also slammed ex-NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III for marrying a white woman. Later, he ridiculed ESPN sportscaster Peter Schrager for not playing in the NFL. At the time, Ryan Clark apologized for his back-to-back controversial comments.Ryan Clark defending Kyren Lacy. (Image via X)He was also criticized in the past for refusing to appear on-air with Sage Steele.Jeff Landry’s comment about Charlie Kirk’s statue came after Turning Point USA conducted their American Comeback Tour on the LSU campus on October 27.For those unaware, Charlie Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck by a sniper while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10, 2025, as part of the same tour. Tyler Robinson, 22, was later arrested and charged with his killing. Kirk is survived by his wife Erica and their two children.