Many couldn’t wrap their heads around ESPN’s firing of NFL analyst Ryan Clark while he was on-air during “NFL Live” on Monday.
Clark — who won a Sports Emmy in May 2023 for Outstanding Personality/Studio Analyst for this work at the Worldwide Leader — found out that he was being laid off by ESPN mid-show and did not return to the program, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported.
ESPN promoted a clip of Clark discussing tight end Isaiah Likely possibly becoming a key component for the Giants during his remote appearance on Monday’s installment of “NFL Live,” and some called it a “diabolical” move.
“This is so wrong,” another X user posted.
Others added that ESPN acted “unprofessional” in the way it parted ways with Clark, who had been with network since 2015.
Retired NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho, who left ESPN in 2020 for FS1, criticized ESPN and said it was “cowardly” to terminate Clark mid-segment.
Clark, who also appeared regularly on ESPN’s shows, such as “First Take” and “Get Up,” was making more than $2 million per year, according to The Athletic.
ESPN reportedly planned to fire Clark on Tuesday as part of a larger stint of layoffs at their parent company, Disney.
However, media inquiries into his departure and a fear that the news would leak out before they could inform him led to the news being delivered during the show Monday.
ESPN executives hit a breaking point with Clark when him and fellow NFL analyst Peter Schrager had a cringey exchange on “Get Up” — ESPN’s morning show — in September.
Schrager defended Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s performance in Dallas’ opening-night loss and Clark said, “That’s the non-player in you.”
Before making the remark, Clark admitted “we shouldn’t be doing this on TV.”
Schrager asked Clark not to belittle him, to which Clark responded, “Peter, what I need for you to do is not get mad and let me finish.”
Later that day, Clark tweeted out an apology, saying, “Today, I had an interaction with my colleague [Schrager] both on and off the air that I regret.”
Clark’s bio page on ESPN’s press website is no longer available as of Tuesday.
He made rounds at Fanatics Fest NYC on Sunday and promoted his podcast, “The Pivot,” which features deep conversations about issues in and out of the sports world with athletes and entertainers.
Clark’s ESPN firing came as NFL training camps are set to open this month — and before ESPN airs its first Super Bowl in 2027.
The 13-year NFL veteran, who won a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2009, has yet to publicly address his ESPN firing.
Clark, who signed a new deal with ESPN in 2024, opened up on negotiations with the Worldwide Leader in a post on X, explaining that both sides “disagreed” at the time.
“3 years ago I signed an extension with ESPN. I was so grateful for more time,” Clark posted during the negotiation 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 !”
Clark beat out ESPN stars Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Jay Bilas, Kenny Smith, as well as MLB’s Tom Verducci and CBS’ Nate Burleson to win his first Sports Emmy in 2023.
