Former Pittsburgh Steelers star Ryan Clark was the story of the week when he was unexpectedly fired by ESPN mid-broadcast of the “NFL Live” show on Monday. Clark, who retired from his 13-year NFL career in 2015, had been with ESPN in various capacities for 11 years before he was laid off.
Todd McShay Blasts ESPN for Ryan Clark Firing
When a football fan on X asked analyst Todd McShay why he was invested in ESPN’s decision to fire Clark, the NFL Draft guru ripped the network for the method they chose to do so.
“Not invested. Just pointing out the obvious, laying someone off mid-show, clipping his take from said show, then going a step further by posting it on your official account is either diabolical or incompetent,” McShay wrote.
“This was never about Ryan Clark or his take. Ironically, it was pointed out to me tonight that I’m still listed as the host of ESPN’s First Draft pod… which has me leaning toward incompetence.”
According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, ESPN had planned to break the news to Clark on Tuesday as part of the network’s broad wave of job cuts, but was forced into action after the news leaked. The executives reached out to Clark during the “NFL Live” broadcast to prevent him from learning about his job status from the news on social media.
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Former NFL LB Sides With Clark After ESPN Decision
In a clip posted on X, former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho, who was also let go by Fox Sports last year, sided with Clark and berated ESPN executives for not being straightforward with the analyst about their decision.
“Number one, objectively, he’s a good analyst,” Acho said. “With that being said, firing a man during his show that he’s helped bring an Emmy award is wild! Wild. Why did they say they did it? Because they didn’t want him to find out on social media. So you fire him during a show and pull him during the last 10 minutes of a segment?
“Last year, when I got fired, they had us find out on social media. We found out on social media. More often than not, executives are cowards. Former athletes, we’re used to tough information. Just tell it to us! [We’ve been] cut before, broken bones before, had surgeries before. Ryan Clark notably couldn’t play a game in Denver, Colorado, because he had a disease, I think an autoimmune something… We’re used to tough things! Just tell us!”
The polarizing Clark signed his most recent contract extension with ESPN in 2024 and, according to a report by The Athletic, was reportedly earning more than $2 million a year.
