Ryan Clark is firing back at ESPN.
After being unceremoniously fired by the Worldwide Leader on Monday while he was on air for “NFL Live,” reports began to surface about the exact manner of his exit.
Clark has since given an inside look at his firing.
“I wasn’t forced?” Clark said in a response to a headline about his firing.
“’I ask, should I be done now?’ The answer was ‘yes,’ ” Clark revealed.
ESPN reportedly scrambled after reporters reached out requesting comment from ESPN public relations about the leak of Clark’s firing, with articles set to go live within the hour.
They quickly had to reach Clark while he was on “NFL Live” to tell him that he was being laid off as a part of a much bigger reduction in staff and personalities across the company.
Clark’s last segment as an ESPN employee was alongside Mina Kimes and Adam Schefter as they discussed Giants receiver Malik Nabers’ injury status and why Isaiah Likely could be a strong option to lead their receiver room.
It appears Clark was told he was being laid off right after the segment, and the rest of the show went on without him.
The former Steelers and Giants safety has received votes of confidence from many in the media world, including ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith, who admitted he was “not happy” about his firing.
“Damn near got blisters on my tongue and my fingers from biting my tongue and biting my fingers from refraining from going after folks when I saw how people were talking about him,” Smith said.
“They don’t know him at all. They don’t know him at all.”
