ESPN’s Ryan Clark Apologizes On-Air in Response to New Evidence in Case of Deceased Football Player Kyren Lacy
![](/<div><p>ESPN analyst <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/tag/ryan-clark/"><strong>Ryan Clark</strong></a> on Thursday apologized for comments he made on the case of deceased football player <strong>Kyren Lacy</strong> in light of new evidence presented by police.</p><p>Lacy was a star receiver at Louisiana State University. In January 2024, he was arrested and charged with negligent homicide for his alleged role in a fatal crash the month before. Police said the 24-year-old passed multiple cars at a high rate of speed, causing chain reaction in the oncoming lane that resulted in the death of 78-year-old <strong>Herman Hall</strong>.</p><p>Lacy died by suicide just a day before a grand jury was scheduled to hear the case in April.</p><p>The tragic situation became relevant again when Lacy’s lawyer <a href="https://people.com/kyren-lacys-lawyer-releases-video-he-claims-proves-athlete-didnt-cause-fatal-crash-11824461">released video evidence</a> showing Lacy’s car was approximately 72 yards — more than 200 feet — away from the cars at the time of the crash. That sparked a wave of outrage, with supporters of Lacy accusing the police of lying about Lacy’s role in the crash.</p><p>After the most recent edition of <em>Monday Night Football</em>, Clark took time away from reacting to the game to <a href="https://awfulannouncing.com/espn/ryan-clark-kyren-lacy-innocent.html">share some words about Lacy</a>. The former NFL safety declared, “Kyren Lacy was innocent,” and added that the young receiver “should still be with us.”</p><p>The next day, police <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/police-release-video-evidence-nfl-draft-prospect-kyren/story?id=126294993">released their own surveillance</a> footage showing the moments before the lawyer’s video. The new footage from police confirmed that Lacy did move into the oncoming lane to pass several cars at a high rate of speed. Police noted that the pass was illegal.</p><p>In light of the new evidence, Clark apologized on <em>First Take</em> for his comments days earlier:</p><blockquote><p>On Monday night’s <em>SportsCenter</em>, I addressed the horrific car crash that took Mr. Hall’s life, and also the subsequent tragic events that led to the death of Kyren Lacy. In full transparency, y’all, I knew Kyren Lacy personally; but nothing matters to me more than the truth. I always strive to do my best to mix authenticity with the most complete and up-to-date information available. I failed to do that on Monday night based on the subsequent evidence that has been released by the Louisiana State Police Department.</p><p>I set the highest standards of fairness and, most importantly, righteousness in my work. I didn’t meet that standard; but since, I’ve spoken to Kyren’s representation at length and I’ve also reached out to a representative at the state police office just to have a conversation. They informed me this morning that because it’s ongoing litigation, they actually can’t divulge anything else. It’s always important to me that I gather all factual and important information to provide the complete story. That’s a responsibility that I do not take lightly, and when discussed in real time on Monday evening, I failed to do so; and for that, I apologize.</p></blockquote><p>The latest report from the office of Lafourche Parish District Attorney <strong>Kristine Russell</strong>, however, noted <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/prosecutors-report-disputed-police-claims-fatal-crash-led/story?id=126377361">“several inconsistencies”</a> in the criminal probe from Louisiana State Police. According to the office, Lacy was back in his “correct lane” well before the crash. The DA’s report acknowledged that the stretch of road was in a no-pass zone, but stated that had the pass been legal, Lacy’s return to the right lane was “three times the required distance.”</p><p>The report also found that Hall was “following too closely” behind the truck that was in front of him, and that Hall swerving into the other lane and crashing was a result of him trying to avoid the truck and not Lacy’s car.</p><p>The post <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/media/sports/espns-ryan-clark-apologizes-on-air-in-response-to-new-evidence-in-case-of-deceased-football-player-kyren-lacy/">ESPN’s Ryan Clark Apologizes On-Air in Response to New Evidence in Case of Deceased Football Player Kyren Lacy</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.mediaite.com">Mediaite</a>.</p></div>)
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