Ryan Clark thinks Cooper Kupp being white has resulted in some pretty dumb comparisons.
The Los Angeles Rams receiver is one of the most dangerous threats in the NFL, and he absolutely torched defenses this season. However, you don’t really hear him in the same conversation as Davante Adams or other elite receivers, and Clark thinks race is the reason why. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
“It’s obviously an incredible honor… Just thankful to be a part of the team that I am.”
🎥 Cooper Kupp on being named PFWA Offensive Player of the Year pic.twitter.com/4AFWUWxJC1
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 26, 2022
“If Cooper Kupp were black, we’d all talk about him in a different way. In the sense that a lot of times we look at the color of a wide receiver and we want to compare them to people who they look like, more so than people who they play like. Cooper Kupp is not Julian Edelman. Cooper Kupp is not Wes Welker. Cooper Kupp is in the conversations with the Davante Adams and the DeAndre Hopkins of the world,” the ESPN pundit and former NFL player told Dan Patrick during a recent interview, according to Outkick.
You can watch his full comments below.
I know everyone likes to freak out whenever race is discussed, especially in sports, but Clark isn’t wrong. He’s not wrong at all.
Kupp is a hell of a lot closer to being Davante Adams than he is to Wes Welker or Julian Edelman, and frankly, it’s not close.
STAFFORD FINDS COOPER KUPP. UNBELIEVABLE.
(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/nx128toQUI— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 23, 2022
Welker and Edelman were fine players, but Kupp is in a different league. He’s simply on a different level, and he should be talked about in a manner that reflects his skill level.
Clark, to his credit, isn’t really seeing race in this situation. He’s actually pointing out how people seeing race is screwing with their perception of Kupp’s greatness.
.@CooperKupp: 9 catches for 183 yards and a TD. Legendary playoff performance.
(@CaesarsSports Star of the Week) pic.twitter.com/bugzQcGpqk
— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2022
The reality is that he’s a superstar receiver and he should be treated as such. No, he’s not like Wes Welker at all just because both are white guys. Not even close.