Clay Morrow is one of the lead characters in Sons Of Anarchy, and he is someone that many fans hated and many fans absolutely loved. He was an important character in the series, as he was the leader of the group when the show begins, and while that does end up changing, he still plays a huge role in the show throughout.
Even though Clay certainly does a lot of horrible things throughout the series, he also does a lot of good at the same time. One thing is for sure with Clay, he was always at the heart of the action, even if he was plotting behind the backs of the others, and that means he had a ton of drama throughout the course of the show.
Felt Bad: Arthritis
Clay is positioned as the big tough leader early on and there is nothing that he can't do. He's the strong man who rides, fights, and drinks, and everyone respects him. Therefore when he begins to show signs of age and weakness due to his arthritis, it's hard to not feel bad for him.
The things he loves such as riding his motorcycle are slowly becoming tough for him, and while he doesn't show that to the club, he shows a vulnerable side of himself behind closed doors with Gemma.
Hated Him: Ordering Tig To Kill Opie
This moment comes very early on in Sons Of Anarchy and it serves its purpose to showcase exactly what he is all about. Clay is someone who likes to backstab people and do a lot of his work in the dark, often getting others to do it for him.
That's clear when he orders Tig to murder Opie, despite the fact he's a club member. This is made even worse when Tig accidentally kills Opie's wife, who has nothing to do with things, leaving Opie's children without a mother.
Felt Bad: Feeling Threatened
At the start of SOA, Clay is the man in charge who leads the club throughout, but as things progress it becomes very clear that Jax is pushing up as the man who is ready to take over. Pressure begins to mount on Clay, with the politics of the group all playing into things.
While he makes mistakes and Jax is the man who is clearly going to take the group in a different direction, it is hard to not feel sorry for him. He clearly doesn't know how to deal with the change, and that is what leads to many of his bad decisions.
Hated Him: Killing JT
While this moment happened prior to the show actually happening, it is one of the big reasons for everything that happens throughout the series. He secretly kills JT by getting his motorcycle tampered with, and this is something that he keeps quiet.
It eventually all comes to light. And when the full revelation is made clear, it is easy for people to hate him as a character because of the actions that he makes prior to the show beginning, proving he has always been a corrupt character.
Felt Bad: Gemma Is Attacked
In the earlier seasons, while Clay certainly did some terrible things, he was still generally seen as a good guy due to his role as the leader of SAMCRO. He was loyal to his wife (at that point) and clearly loved Gemma to pieces, and so when she is attacked and sexually assaulted, it is a major moment for him.
She manages to keep it to herself for a while, but eventually it is all revealed to Clay, and it's clear to see how much it affects him. He's heartbroken over the situation, mainly because he was helpless and not being able to stop it, as he wasn't there for her. It's hard not to feel for him in this moment.
Hated Him: Bounty On Tara's Head
Clay Morrow doesn't like people going against him, he needs everyone to be in line. And when Tara doesn't showcase that, he quickly decides to act. While Tara was a controversial character herself, that doesn't mean that audiences enjoyed Clay paying people to try to murder her.
She was Jax's girl and the mother of his children, therefore killing her was something that audiences didn't want to see, especially in that way. Plus, at that point in the show, Tara was nowhere near as frustrating to audiences, which meant people absolutely hated him for this decision.
Felt Bad: Requiring Oxygen
When Clay Morrow is put into hospital in season five due to his lung injury, he comes out in a very different manner. He ends up being incredibly weak because of it and requires an oxygen tank, which parallels how Piney is earlier on in the show.
He struggles to get around and is no longer the massively powerful and scary force that he once was, which is a major change for him as a person. While he was hated by audiences at this point, it was still easy to feel sorry for him.
Hated Him: Killing Piney
Piney was the other original SAMCRO member that was still around when the show was taking place. However, while they might have been through a lot together over the years, that doesn't mean that they are exactly friends.
Piney was someone who knew the truth about Clay's history and was actively pushing Jax to try take the club into a new direction. However, Clay shows how he deals with change and people going against him when he shoots Piney, despite the fact he's a club member, which an unforgivable transgression in the eyes of the club.
Felt Bad: Gets Inked Out
While Clay certainly deserves his badge being inked out due to all the poor decisions he makes against members within the group, that doesn't make this moment hard to watch. SAMCRO is absolutely everything to Clay, and therefore when it is all taken away from him, it is truly tough to see.
It is basically a man having his entire identity and life being ripped away from him, and after he had been such an important character on the show, that is hard to watch.
Hated Him: Hitting Gemma
This was a major turning point for Clay, as it was the moment that even Gemma decided enough was enough and that she would no longer be by his side. Granted, Gemma does shoot at him first, but nothing excuses his decision to start beating her up.
Clay might love Gemma at one point in the show, but he still leaves her bruised and bloodied, which is something that is totally inexcusable. It confirmed his incredible aggression and anger that fans were aware of, and it instantly made people totally hate him.