Stephen A. Smith wants Tony Clark’s sister-in-law outed after alleged inappropriate relationship

Now that Tony Clark has been outed for allegedly having an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, Stephen A. Smith wants the woman to be outed as well.

Major League Baseball was hit with bombshell news Tuesday, when Clark resigned as executive director of the MLBPA after 12 years. The timing was immediately curious, as MLB owners are widely expected to lock out players after the 2026 season in an effort to address revenue disparities in their next collective bargaining negotiations. After the resignation, it was soon reported that Clark allegedly had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who has been employed by the MLBPA since 2023.

“Tony Clark…damn. This takes sibling rivalry to a new level…you’re a grown damn man! How do you let something like this happen? You’re 53 years old! Of all the people out there, your sister-in-law?” – Stephen A. Smith pic.twitter.com/7tUX4uFyHI

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 18, 2026

“Tony Clark…damn. This takes sibling rivalry to a new level,” Stephen A. Smith said Wednesday morning on First Take. “You’re a grown damn man! How do you let something like this happen? You’re 53 years old! Of all the people out there, your sister-in-law? Really? Damn. I mean, damnnn. Come on, y’all. There’s certain things you just don’t do.

“I’m not getting into all the personal stuff, I’m just saying, based on what’s reported, I can’t even think about the collective bargaining negotiations. Really? The sister-in-law? Listen, ain’t nobody trying to absolve Tony Clark because that was just foolhardy, not wise, not smart … but I’m getting sick and tired of not seeing the other people involved. Who is that woman? Does she work in the MLB office? You understand what I’m saying? Because again, if it were the players, we’d see everybody. We gotta stop victimizing and publicizing and putting the players on blast, but everybody else gets to hide. He’s not hiding. Who’s the woman that would do that to her sister? Is somebody gonna bring that up? Who’s the woman that would do that to her sister? That’s all I’m trying to say.”

Smith had a similar take when the Boston Celtics abruptly suspended then-head coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season after reportedly having a consensual intimate relationship with a female member of team staff.

“Only he is in violation of the company policy?” Smith asked of Udoka and the Celtics back in 2022. “The woman who elected to have a consensual relationship with him is not in violation?”

No one is arguing that Clark’s sister-in-law should keep her role within the MLBPA if she took part in an inappropriate relationship. But having an inappropriate relationship doesn’t mean she should be named just because we know who Tony Clark is. Clark was already a public figure; that doesn’t mean the woman now needs to be made into one as well.