Ex-NFL star Ryan Clark ‘laid off by ESPN… with analyst told MID-SHOW – and there are more cuts to come’
Former NFL star and current analyst Ryan Clark found out he was being laid off from ESPN while he was in the middle of taping ‘NFL Live’ on Monday afternoon.
According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Clark is part of a broad swath of layoffs at the company – yet another round of cuts which have become commonplace at ‘The Worldwide Leader in Sports.’
But as The Athletic reports, Clark was informed of the decision whilst he was in the middle of taping ‘NFL Live.’ Sources told the outlet that Clark did not finish the program after hearing of the news.
ESPN is set to lay off a number of on-air talents – both at its main network and at sister platform, NFL Network, per the outlet.
Sources told Marchand that Clark was making more than $2million per year at the company where he had worked for more than a decade. He was set to be a key figure in the network’s coverage of Super Bowl LXI next season.
However, those same sources told The Athletic that internal discussions had been held since February over whether or not he should return.
ESPN is set to lay off Ryan Clark after over a decade on the airwaves, but informed him on-air
Clark was taping NFL Live when he received the news and didn’t return to the program
The Athletic reports that ESPN was afraid Clark would see the news leaked and chose to tell him in the middle of the program rather than having him find out through social media
In a follow-up report, Marchand says ESPN initially planned to inform Clark on Tuesday morning that he was being let go.
However, sources told the outlet that ESPN feared a leak of the news before they could inform him after media inquiries were sent asking about Clark’s status at the company.
After receiving calls on the matter, Marchand says ESPN ‘chose to inform [Clark] during his show as it did not want him to read online before being told in person.’
Clark has not been without controversy during his time at ESPN, including during this past season when he publicly belittled colleague and NFL insider Peter Schrager.
The incident occurred during an episode of the early-morning roundtable show ‘Get Up’ last September when Schrager defended a performance from Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Clark responded by pointing out Schrager’s lack of playing experience, saying, ‘That’s the non-player in you.’
When Schrager defended himself – asking Clark to not belittle him and respect that there are other perspectives – Clark retorted, ‘Peter, what I need for you to do is not get mad and let me finish.’
Clark tweeted an apology later in the day, referencing an off-air incident stemming from their on-air barbs.
‘Today, I had an interaction with my colleague [Schrager] both on and off the air that I regret,’ Clark posted.
Clark has been a controversial figure during his time at ESPN and previously had both on-air and off-air spats with his colleagues at the network
Clark also drew attention and controversy during his latest contract negotiation with ESPN
Clark has also drawn controversy for his reaction to plans of putting a Charlie Kirk statue on LSU’s campus.
He also dismissed Robert Griffin III’s criticism of Angel Reese solely on the basis of Griffin’s marriage to a white woman. Clark later apologized for these comments.
The former Steelers safety signed his most recent deal with the company in 2024, but made his negotiations very public in the process.
‘3 years ago I signed an extension with ESPN. I was so grateful for more time,’ Clark tweeted amidst the contract talks after the Super Bowl in February 2024.
‘I (was) excited to prove I was worth more, felt I deserved more. We disagreed, & that’s ok. I set out on a mission to leave no doubt, end all conversations about who I was in this business.
‘The season is over. The deal is up. Time to make a decision. Either way it goes. The mission don’t change. I want to be the best doing it. Everyone should. I’m more motivated today than ever. I’m still the same #UndraftedFreeAgent !’
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