{"id":97310,"date":"2026-01-26T18:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T18:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/97310\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T18:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T18:34:10","slug":"stephen-a-smith-upset-that-pittsburgh-steelers-didnt-interview-espn-analyst-ryan-clark-for-head-coach-position","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/97310\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephen A. Smith Upset That Pittsburgh Steelers Didn\u2019t Interview ESPN Analyst Ryan Clark for Head Coach Position"},"content":{"rendered":"

– Advertisement –\"Jim\"Jim<\/a><\/p>\n

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith<\/a> sharply criticized<\/a> the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, arguing the organization should have interviewed former player and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark for its vacant head coaching position before finalizing its decision to hire Mike McCarthy.<\/p>\n

Speaking on First Take, Smith says he was \u201cvery upset\u201d with how the Steelers handled the search. He stressed his comments were sincere and rooted in respect for Clark\u2019s background and franchise ties. Smith said he was not exaggerating or speaking hypothetically. He added that Clark deserved serious consideration rather than being overlooked entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not joking about this and I\u2019m dead serious. I believe that Ryan Clark should have been interviewed for the job,\u201d Smith said during the segment, underscoring his frustration with the lack of outreach from Pittsburgh despite Clark\u2019s extensive history with the organization.<\/p>\n

Clark spent eight of his 13 NFL seasons with the Steelers and played a key role on the Super Bowl XLIII championship team. Since retiring, he has built a prominent media career. He is now one of ESPN\u2019s most recognizable NFL analysts. Clark regularly offers insight on leadership, locker room dynamics, and organizational culture.<\/p>\n

Smith reinforced his argument by pointing to recent league precedent, noting that former quarterback Philip Rivers received a head coaching interview with the Buffalo Bills despite having no formal coaching experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhilip Rivers got interviewed by the Buffalo Bills,\u201d Smith says. \u201cI\u2019m just saying, you Pittsburgh Steelers, what\u2019s up?\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith said the relationship between Clark and the Steelers remains active. He alleged the organization regularly seeks Clark\u2019s advice on football matters. According to Smith, that ongoing dialogue made the lack of an interview more puzzling. He added the decision felt unusual for a franchise that values loyalty and continuity.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u201dI know they love RC, and they know he\u2019s a Steeler for life. I know they pick up the phone and call him. Deferring to him and ask his advice and stuff like that,\u201d Smith said, adding that team officials regularly consult Clark for guidance and perspective. \u201cHow come you can\u2019t interview the brother?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Steelers ultimately<\/a> chose McCarthy, a Super Bowl-winning coach with extensive head coaching experience, most recently leading the Dallas Cowboys. The hire signals a desire for immediate structure and stability as Pittsburgh looks to reassert itself as a consistent contender in the AFC.<\/p>\n

Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries.\u00a0Sign up<\/a>\u00a0for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest informed right in your inbox.<\/p>\n

\"Barrett\"Barrett<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"– Advertisement – ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith sharply criticized the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, arguing the organization…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97311,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[47751,47752,1421,47753,8203,73,75,74,1833,47754,47755,13467,47756,47757,47758],"class_list":["post-97310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-barrett-media","tag-barrett-sports-media","tag-espn","tag-first-take","tag-mike-mccarthy","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-ryan-clark","tag-sports-media-news","tag-sports-radio","tag-sports-television","tag-stephen-a-smith","tag-the-pivot"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97310"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97310\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}