Ryan Clark issues apology over Monday Night Football statement regarding Kyren Lacy case

As a fellow LSU alum, ESPN analyst Ryan Clark has been highly invested in the narrative around Kyren Lacy‘s death in April. He has also been invested in the former Tigers receiver’s alleged involvement in a tragic car accident last December that resulted in the death of 78-year-old veteran Herman Hall of Thibodaux, La.

On Monday night’s SportsCenter, immediately following ESPN’s Monday Night Football coverage, Clark took some airtime to publicly hail Lacy’s innocence days after Lacy’s attorney presented video that revealed Lacy was 70 yards behind the scene of the accident when it occurred. In response to Lacy’s attorney, the Louisiana State Police released new video evidence that countered those claims and showed Lacy’s reckless driving was likely a contributing factor in the crash. The LSP even released police body cam video of witnesses at the scene blaming Lacy’s lime green Dodge Charger for causing the fatal wreck.

On Thursday, after reaching out to both Lacy’s representatives and the Louisiana State Police, Clark issued a heartfelt public apology. He did so during the first hour of ESPN’s First Take for his comments on Monday night.

“Two lives have been lost. Herman Hall, a man who spent his life in service of others, and Kyren Lacy, a young man I wish I could tell how much he had to live for. My heart absolutely breaks for both of them, their families and their loved ones. … In full transparency, 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 Monday night based on the subsequent evidence that has been released by the Louisiana State Police Department,” Clark said Thursday morning on First Take. “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 Monday evening, I failed to do so. And for that, I apologize.”

Louisiana Police release surveillance video of crash that led to Kyren Lacy arrest

In the new surveillance video released by the Louisiana State Police released Tuesday, Lacy’s Charger can be seen speeding down the opposite lane of traffic on the two-lane road, passing three cars and an 18-wheeler before driving out of frame of the camera as a loud crash is heard off-screen.

The Louisiana State Police has long maintained Lacy’s reckless driving and speeding forced a female driver in a Kia Cadenza to swerve to avoid Lacy and into a head-on collision with Hall’s Kia Sorrento, resulting in his death. As part of their Tuesday drop, LSP also released new body cam footage from the scene of the accident, including one of the female victim speaking with police while lying on the ground and telling officers she swerved to avoid a Dodge that was weaving through traffic. Another officer’s body cam video showed several bystanders telling police, “the green Charger caused all this,” according to TMZ.

“He went around the truck, … and she had no choice, she hits the pole (to the right) or she hit (Hall),” one witness said, according to video released by LSP.

Lacy was charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless driving following a police investigation. In the charging document, the Lafourche (La.) Parish Sheriff’s Office said Lacy was “illegally passing the other vehicles, (when) the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved to the right to avoid a head-on collision with the approaching Dodge” in a press release.

The 24-year-old Lacy was scheduled to appear before a Baton Rouge grand jury in mid-April, one week before the 2025 NFL Draft. But the former LSU receiver committed suicide April 12 following a car chase with Houston-area police.