Brady Quinn Oct 1, 2022; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Fox Sports football analyst Brady Quinn on the sidelines during the game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Michigan Wolverines at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
NFLTwitterBy Sean Keeley on

It wouldn’t be an NFL Draft season if we didn’t have late-breaking anonymous or unverified concerns about a highly touted prospect, often a quarterback and often Black, that seems to imply he isn’t worthy of a high selection.

This year’s version arrived during a recent episode of the “Pick Six Podcast” when Fox Sports analyst and former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn said that Ohio State product C.J. Stroud “ghosted” the Manning Passing Academy, which was founded by Archie Manning and is directed by Peyton and Eli Manning, after saying he would attend.

“I’ve been told that he committed to [the Manning Passing Academy] the night before, [and] just kind of ghosted them, didn’t show up,” Quinn said. “That’s football royalty. And when you do that, that’s going to set off some alarms for people like, ‘Hey man, that’s not how you conduct yourself, especially around the Manning family, or just in general if you’re going to be a franchise quarterback.’”

The former Notre Dame quarterback also seemed to imply that Stroud’s on-field success, which includes 8,123 passing yards, 85 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in two seasons as a starter, might be a product of OSU head coach Ryan Day’s system.

“A lot of quarterbacks have put up good numbers in Ryan Day’s system,” Quinn said. “Great offensive line that’s going to have one tackle, maybe both drafted in the first round, three of his offensive linemen drafted. There’s a lot of thought that he played with a lot of talent and maybe that played a role in it as well.”

Quinn did follow that up by saying that he thinks Stroud, who is expected to go among the first selections in the 2023 NFL Draft despite recent chatter, has the potential to be a solid NFL quarterback.

“He’s the most accurate quarterback in this draft class, he showcased his athleticism ability,” Quinn said. “Any time I’ve been around the kid, he’s been an upstanding young man who’s grown and matured into a leader I think NFL teams are looking for.”

It was reported by the Columbus Dispatch in June 2022 that Stroud would be at the camp to serve as a counselor for high school and middle school quarterbacks who attend. However, several sports media personalities and other high-profile football names have since pushed back on Quinn’s claim, saying it was a deliberate attempt to diminish the quarterback’s standing in the days leading up to the draft.

ESPN’s Ryan Clark and Robert Griffin III, as well as Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey, were among the dissenters who spoke up on Wednesday and Thursday.

Clark kicked things off on Wednesday night when he said Stroud never actually committed to attending the camp and that he chose to spend that time with his Ohio State teammates instead.

“He wasn’t paid to go, & furthermore [Brady Quinn] what does acquiescing to the Manning family have to do with leading an organization?” Clark tweeted.

Early Thursday morning, Quinn replied, saying that his comments were taken out of context due to going viral as part of a tweet by Dov Kleiman, whose reputation over breaking news has been in dispute in recent weeks.

“It’s hilarious [Dov Kleiman] took a one minute clip from our [Pick Six Podcast] & created a headline that doesn’t touch on the context of the conversation,” Quinn said, adding “I was asked why he could be ‘dropping’? I simply provided a few examples of what I was told.

In a follow-up tweet,” Quinn added, “If one actually listened to the podcast, I didn’t put stock in that & have been always complimentary of CJ and was in this podcast.”

Clark wasn’t buying it, however, and doubled down on his initial thoughts on Quinn.

“This is an example of analyst like [Brady Quinn] telling stories of 0 value to diminish a man’s character while validating his own,” said Clark. “Instead of dissecting film, or speaking to coaches an adult man stooped to gossip while analyzing. It’s an immature evaluation of football integrity.”

Quinn didn’t back down, replying to Clark and eventually challenging him to a face-to-face conversation on one of their podcasts, as all Twitter Beefs must eventually end.

“This is also an example of an analyst not doing his homework,” Quinn wrote. “There was no shot taken at his character & clearly you don’t know me, my work ethic or integrity. Maybe do the work and listen to the podcast before you start making claims.”

Clark responded later on, saying he didn’t feel the need to do a podcast with Quinn to justify his claims.

“I have 0 need to join a podcast to refute this claim,” wrote Clark. “As you suggested I did do my research. I wanted to know what happen before tweeting about it. The entire story was not shared on the podcast. Left out important details that could’ve provided clarity. I’ve had convos w/ CJ…& he’s shown exemplary leadership ability. Former teammates & coaches rave of his unselfishness. I didn’t question your work ethic. I pointed out your decision to use gossip as a qualifier instead of ALL the time you put into your craft. That’s a YOU decision.”

Ramsey also chimed in with his thoughts on the matter, one of many NFL players who did so, disagreeing with Quinn’s assessment before taking a shot at the Fox Sports analyst’s NFL career, which sputtered out after being a high draft pick.

“Fake story! Tryna beak a kid down before the draft is lame, especially for not going to a camp that I’m sure he wasn’t getting paid for & instead working with his teammates!” Ramsey wrote. “Plus [Brady Quinn], you was a bust, shut up! You shoulda went to a passing academy or 2! God bless tho.”

ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III, himself a former NFL quarterback, also tweeted about Quinn’s report on Thursday, calling it “bogus” and backing up Clark’s statement that Stroud did not commit to attending the camp.

“Brady Quinn’s attempt to tear down CJ Strouds’ character was BOGUS,” Griffin wrote. “CJ DID NOT no-show at the Manning Passing Academy without warning because he DID NOT COMMIT TO GOING. I know because I did the research. [Brady Quinn] said he simply repeated something he was told, but it is STILL YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to vet character damaging information yourself before echoing it to millions of people. Too often lies are reported and used to hurt players. THAT AIN’T RIGHT.”

Quinn replied to RGIII, saying that his report “was vetted” before challenging the ESPN analyst to listen to the whole podcast.

Griffin responded to that, saying “I did the research. Your story doesn’t hold any water. I also did listen. Saying you like a player while sharing a false character assassination story that was fed to you is IRRESPONSIBLE. You can’t even do the research correctly on me. Ain’t no book, my story still being written.”

Clark and Quinn also came back around on Thursday to continue their kerfuffle, with things devolving into a “bub/bruh-off.”

“I’m hoping you did your homework on my comments about Stetson Bennett this year. Still waiting on your cell bub,” Quinn wrote to Clark.

“Following me and I’ll send it now!” responded Clark. “Just followed you to send it. And I ain’t your Bub bruh. So we should be real clear about our tones before we speak!”

“Followed bruh. Let’s get REAL serious over twitter,” Quinn responded.

Quinn also tweeted a link to an article that quotes Sports Radio 610’s Landry Locker, who says Clark’s motivations for pushing back are due to his relationship with Athletes First President of Team Sports David Mulugheta, who represents Stroud. He then tweeted directly at Mulugheta.

“[David Mulugheta] we’ve never met but heard from A LOT of your clients today,” wrote Quinn. “If you doubt my integrity, try reaching out to [Athletes First’s Director of Football Kyle McCarthy] or [Athletes First CEO] Brian Murphy. I think they can vouch for me.”

Meanwhile, Clark tweeted that he is not represented by “any agency connected with Stroud” and shared a clip from when Stroud visited The Pivot Podcast last year, discussing what kind of leader he is.

It seems like all parties have started moving forward but it probably won’t take much for this powder keg to blow once more before, and after, next week’s draft, depending on when Stroud is selected.

[Brady Quinn, Dov Kleiman, Ryan Clark, Jalen Ramsey, Robert Griffin III, New York Post, Columbus Dispatch, Barrett Sports Media]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

View all posts by Sean Keeley