Ryan Clark, a veteran NFL player-turned-analyst, was let go from ESPN, according to a report from Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. He was reportedly told of his looming layoff during a Monday taping of “NFL Live” and did not finish the show.
According to Marchand’s report, Clark’s dispute with fellow NFL analyst Peter Schrager played a role in the network’s decision.
“ESPN executives soured on Clark because of issues with some of his choices, a dynamic that peaked with an on- and off-air incident this past season involving colleague Peter Schrager,” Marchand wrote.
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This comes amid a broader round of layoffs in ESPN. A report by The Athletic mentioned the network let go of broadcaster Karl Ravech. Ravech has been at ESPN since 1993 and was the lead play-by-play voice for its baseball coverage. Others in ESPN expected to be let go include SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, who joined the network in 1997, and injury expert/fantasy analyst Stephania Bell. It is also expected that the NFL Network, which was purchased by ESPN earlier this year, will also conduct layoffs. NFL insider Tom Pelissero is also expected to be laid off, according to The Athletic.
Clark, a Pro Bowl and Super Bowl-winning safety, joined ESPN as an NFL analyst in 2015. He was earning more than $2 million per year under his current contract, which was signed in February 2024. There have been rumors that Clark could be in danger of losing his job since the Super Bowl in February, per Marchand.
According to Yahoo Sports, Clark was expected to be part of ESPN’s Super Bowl coverage next year, as the network airs the event for the first time. ABC, ESPN’s partner channel, has not held the Super Bowl broadcast rights since 2006.
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Clark has been a contributor to the network’s top shows like “NFL Live,” “SportsCenter” and “First Take,” over a decade. However, according to reports, he has also run into some issues with coworkers like Schrager. Last September, Clark called out Peter Schrager as a “non-player” on “Get Up,” leading to an argument that reportedly continued off-air. Clark later apologized.
Clark responded to the layoff on X. “Sending prayers and love to all those laid off today by ESPN. So many of you have poured your life into that company, & I know how you’re feeling right now. My hope is as this door closes another opens for you all. God bless!”