Ryan Clark sees himself in A.J. Brown: ‘A person with poor impulse control’

Ryan Clark doesn’t necessarily agree with A.J. Brown’s cryptic social media posts, which seem to be directed at his lack of involvement in the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. But he certainly sympathizes with the Pro Bowl wide receiver.

After all, Clark is no stranger to acting in frustration, whether it was during his 13-year playing career or his current act as an ESPN NFL analyst. During Thursday’s episode of First Take, the former defensive back addressed the latest drama surrounding Brown, admitting that he sees a lot of himself in the 28-year-old wideout.

“That press conference we saw yesterday, that was maturity. That was accountability. That’s who I believe A.J. Brown to be,” Clark said, referring to the receiver’s media availability addressing his cryptic posts. “In other parts of his life, he’s like me; he’s a person with poor impulse control when I’m frustrated and disrespected. I get it.”

As Clark made his comments, his colleague, Dan Orlovsky, couldn’t help but smile. The former LSU star proceeded to recall taking to social media to complain about a contract offer he had received ahead of the final season of his NFL career, as well as unspecified instances of frustration he had felt as a member of the media.

“I’m the same person where if something happens to me while we’re on air, I may not address it there, I may not address it on the commercial, but I’m probably going to call you at some point because I can’t let it go,” Clark said. “That’s who A.J. Brown is. So when you ask me, is this the last time we hear from him, or is this thing put to bed? Absolutely not. Because we are who we are. Now, the thing I’ve learned to do is I’m just tired of fighting. Maybe A.J. Brown gets tired of fighting.”

Ryan Clark on A.J. Brown: “He’s a lot like me. He’s a person with poor impulse control when I’m frustrated and disrespected. I get it… we are who we are. Now, the thing I’ve learned to do, is I’m just tired of fighting. Maybe A.J. Brown gets tired of fighting.” pic.twitter.com/11FUq0QLE6

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 2, 2025

While Clark didn’t offer specifics on any such incidents during his media career, the 2011 Pro Bowl selection has certainly been involved in his share of media dustups. That included last month’s incident in which he questioned Peter Schrager’s credibility as a “non-player,” as well as a long-running social media feud with former ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III.

Despite his insistence that “we are who we are,” Clark’s comment about being “tired of fighting” might indicate that he’s now embracing a new approach. In any event, his analysis here wasn’t just insightful but also vulnerable, and the type of commentary that has helped cement his spot as one of ESPN’s top NFL analysts despite the occasional controversy.