"Same people loved Tim Tebow": Ryan Clark calls out Skip Bayless for hypocritical take on Travis Hunter's baptism

Skip Bayless has stirred controversy after criticizing Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Travis Hunter for his baptism before the team's game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

Hunter, who was baptized on Sunday morning after obtaining permission from the team, was criticized by Bayless, who claimed the rookie two-way star's mind is not on football.

Bayless' comment has received backlash from fans and fellow analysts, with former NFL safety Ryan Clark being one of the latest names to join the list. Clark reminded Bayless of the praise former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow received for his actions.

"Travis Hunter just wants to play ball. The young man doesn’t drink, party, or do any dumb sh*t. You still got folks finding reasons to be mad about things like baptism. Those same people loved Tim Tebow and admonished anyone criticizing him as someone who abhorred his outward love for Christ.

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"Dude, you think players sit around meditating all dang morning before games? Hunter does it the right way, & I hope he keeps being him. Anyone who had an issue with that is a fool!"

Skip Bayless' former colleague Shannon Sharpe defends the veteran analyst

While Skip Bayless has faced backlash from many corners for his statement on Travis Hunter, his former Undisputed co-host Shannon Sharpe came to his defense on the "Nightcap" podcast.

“I don’t think Skip meant it like, ‘Why did you do it?’” Sharpe said. “I think what he wanted to say was, ‘Why did you pick today… the day of the game to get baptized?’ Though it didn’t come out quite the way he meant it to."

However, Sharpe's co-host Chad Johnson didn't mince his words on Bayless' controversial statement.

“You’re able to play this game, you understand? God always comes first. Not football,” Johnson said. “My grandma told me Sunday is always the Lord’s day. Getting baptized before a game ain’t a bad thing… The fact that Travis got baptized — hell, I need to go get baptized again too, because the last one’s wearing off."

While Hunter's two-way ability has created a buzz around his first pro season, Bayless' comments have the Jaguars rookie in the news for the wrong reasons.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

Know More

Jaguars Fans! Check out the latest Jacksonville Jaguars Schedule and dive into the Jaguars Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash