ESPN Analyst Calls Out RGIII Over Angel Reese Situation
Saturday marked the first game of the season for both the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky. Each team entered the year with optimism after stellar campaigns from rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, respectively.
Clark and the Fever ran away with Saturday's game and the former Iowa star posted a triple-double, but most of the conversation around the game came after a moment of physicality in the second half.
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Clark fouled Reese as she went up for a layup, and seemed to push the Sky star to the ground after the foul. Reese was upset and stood up quickly, and the two players were separated. Clark was assessed with a flagrant 1 foul while Reese received a technical for exchanging words with Fever star Aliyah Boston.
Both players simply acknowledged the situation as a basketball play and moved on, but the discourse has persisted throughout the weekend and now, into the week.
Former ESPN analyst and Heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III weighed in on the topic, saying that Reese "hates" Clark.
"It's staring us all right in the face, but people are afraid to say it," Griffin said on social media.
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"Goes after and tries to punch Caitlin Clark after a routine 'make them earn it foul' after Angel Reese fouled Aaliyah Boston with a push in the back that wasn't called. That's not just hate. That's jealousy and resentment," Griffin suggested.
On Monday, one of Griffin's former colleagues at ESPN and a fellow former NFL player responded to his claim.
"RGIII saying he could recognize 'hate when 'he' see(s) it', when referring to Angel Reese's feelings toward Caitlin Clark was irresponsible, but not at all surprising," said ESPN's Ryan Clark.
"RGIII plays into the narrative that Reese is the villain of Clark's hero origin story...Add him to the list of black men who've adopted the corny trend of denigrating black women to affirm their choices."
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Clark then said that Griffin "attacking Reese multiple times in order to gain favor from his desired crowd" won't help him earn the acceptance he is seeking.
We'll see the continued fallout from the controversial flagrant foul and the alleged abuse Reese faced from the crowd on Saturday, but it's clear that 2025 will be another emotionally-charged season for certain fans of the WNBA.
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