Why Did ESPN Part Ways With Ryan Clark? The First of Several Expected Layoffs Explained

ESPN has “cut ties with NFL analyst Ryan Clark,” according to sources cited by Andrew Marchand of THE ATHLETIC. Clark was on “NFL Live” on Monday and sources said that he “was informed of the decision during the show.” Clark did not finish the program. Sources at ESPN said that the “reason they told Clark during the show was due to media inquiries into his departure and a fear that the news would leak out before they could inform him.” Marchand noted sources first said that Clark was “likely to be let go” last week. ESPN’s plan “was to do that on Tuesday morning” but the network made the move on Monday afternoon because it “did not want him to read online before being told in person.” ESPN and NFL Network are “expected to have more layoffs Tuesday as part of broader cuts” at Disney. There are “expected to be a small number of layoffs of on-air personalities based at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., as well as a larger number of employees, both on- and off-the-air, from NFL Network” (THE ATHLETIC, 7/20).

HOLE IN THE COVERAGE: OUTKICK’s Bobby Burack writes the dismissal is “particularly notable” given Clark’s role on the “Monday Night Countdown” pregame show. ESPN, which will air the Super Bowl in February, is considering “internal and external candidates to replace Clark” on its NFL studio coverage. It is unclear how much time, if any, Clark has remaining on his contract extension signed in 2024 (OUTKICK, 7/20). Burack also tweeted that it was Outkick’s inquiry to ESPN that led to the network pulling Clark from the show this afternoon (X, 7/20).