ESPN’s Ryan Clark Calls Out Brady Quinn for ‘Immature Evaluation’ of C.J. Stroud

Also in Traina Thoughts: New ‘SI Media’ podcast; Shaq can't keep it together; MLB manager goes off; and more.

1. The NFL draft is one week away, and tensions are high. Not just for the players and teams, but also for those in the media.

A skirmish broke out on Twitter on Wednesday between ESPN’s Ryan Clark and CBS’s Brady Quinn over Quinn sharing an unflattering anecdote about Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

According to Quinn, Stroud blew off the Manning Passing Academy.

“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 on his Pick Six Podcast. “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.’”

After sharing that piece of gossip, Quinn did go on to compliment Stroud.

“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.”

The Manning Academy story, though, didn’t sit well with Clark, who blasted Quinn on Twitter and said that Stroud never committed to the Manning Academy.

Quinn then played the “out-of-context” card because only his comment about Stroud dissing the Mannings got picked up in aggregation.

Quinn also suggested Clark join him on a podcast, but Clark was having none of it.

Quinn doubled down by telling Clark he never took a shot at Stroud's character.

I’m Team Clark on this one for many reasons. While Quinn was extremely complimentary of Stroud, the damage of sharing information that Stroud blew off the Mannings outweighs any positives Quinn had to say about the expected first-round pick.

Even with the context that Quinn wants people to be aware of, he still threw out a claim that could hurt Stroud.

And let’s get to that claim. I absolutely love Clark’s point about “what does acquiescing to the Manning family have to do with leading an organization?”

YES! YES! YES! Even if Stroud did blow off the Manning Camp, who cares? What does Stroud not attending the Manning Camp, even if he did commit to it, have to do with how Stroud will perform as a pro quarterback? What does it have to do with whether Stroud will win on Sundays? It’s a completely meaningless and irrelevant thing. Oh my God, he blew off the Mannings. Bad kid. Can’t trust him. Not a leader. It’s absurd logic.

Can you imagine being an NFL team desperate for a quarterback, but you decided to pass on C.J. Stroud because he didn’t attend the Manning Family football camp?

Good for Clark for calling that out. I also respect Clark for turning down the podcast invite. You can make your point and stand by it and leave it at that. Not everything has to be a content play and a debate. 

2. A brand-new episode of SI Media with Jimmy Traina dropped this morning and it features an interview with author, reporter and podcast host Jim Miller about several big stories in the sports media world.

Miller shares his insight into what he thinks will happen with the NBA’s future rights deals regarding TNT, ESPN, NBA, Apple and Amazon. Could the NBA leave Turner and what would that mean for Charles Barkley, who would become the biggest free agent in sports media history. 

Miller also shares his thoughts on the upcoming layoffs at ESPN, YouTube’s pricing for NFL Sunday Ticket, the WWE’s upcoming TV deals and a surprise player that could be involved. Miller also weighs in on this season of Succession and gives us an update on the upcoming season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Following Miller, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins Jimmy for their weekly "Traina Thoughts” segment. Topics covered include the Draymond Green suspension, betting stories, Aaron Rodgers, airpods and more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch the SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.

3. Shaq couldn’t keep it together Wednesday night after he heard Charles Barkley talk about "juggling two balls.”

Charles Barkley: "I'm kind of juggling two balls right here."

Chuck temporarily broke Shaq. pic.twitter.com/jvuhAqaAtC

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 20, 2023

4. Great audio pickup here of Reds manager David Bell going off after Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks, who came in to close out a blowout win for Tampa, was beyond wild with his pitches. Mics caught Bell telling umpire Erich Bacchus, “If he can’t control his pitches, get him the f--- out of here! “Somebody’s going to get f---ing hurt! Get him the f--- outta here!”

5. I’m not sure this is a smart play by the Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks, who mocked LeBron’s age after the two got heated during Memphis’s Game 2 win against L.A.

Classic Dillon Brooks on his confrontation with LeBron James: “I don’t care. He’s old. … I poke bears. I don’t respect someone until he gives me 40.”

And Brooks had plenty more to say. pic.twitter.com/uWLONrubPZ

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 20, 2023

6. Tremendous call from Ian Eagle on John Konchar’s block on Anthony Davis on Wednesday night.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Happy 62nd birthday to my favorite Yankee from when I was a kid, Donald Arthur Mattingly. To this day, this remains my all-time favorite call of a Yankees moment, courtesy of Gary Thorne.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.