Former ESPN analyst Ryan Clark continues to command column inches and headlines a week and a half after the network unceremoniously dismissed him during a segment of the “NFL Live” show. The outspoken Clark’s dismissal has divided fans and analysts, with some celebrating his sacking, and others blasting ESPN for letting him go.
Jemele Hill Drops Huge ESPN Claim After Ryan Clark Dismissal
In an article posted on her website on Wednesday, former ESPN analyst Jemele Hill called out ESPN for firing Clark to appeal to its conservative audience. She pinpointed OutKick as the chosen medium for the Clark news leak by the network’s executives who had a grudge against the analyst.
“Layoffs also give the bosses the opportunity to get rid of people they don’t like. Given how Ryan was let go, it seemed pretty clear there was either a person or some people who didn’t want him at ESPN,” Hill wrote. “As Ryan explained in this emotional episode of his digital show The Pivot, he believes his firing was intentionally leaked to Outkick to try to discredit him and score some cheap political points with conservative media.
“I agree. ESPN is desperately trying to appeal to young, white men, and send a bat signal to all white folks that their eyeballs and viewpoints are still a priority. Ryan was vulnerable because he was one of ESPN’s more outspoken analysts, and often was targeted by the right.”
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Hill joined ESPN in 2006 as a columnist and appeared on various shows, including “SportsCenter” and “First Take.” She was suspended twice during her ESPN career, most notably in October 2017 after calling for a boycott of Dallas Cowboys advertisers over owner Jerry Jones’ anthem-protest comments, following an earlier suspension in 2008.
She also called President Donald Trump a “white supremacist” in a series of tweets in 2017, landing her in hot water in several quarters.
In her article, Hill emphasized “OutKick” breaking the news of Clark’s firing as the final humiliation for the analyst who joined ESPN immediately after retiring from a journeyman 13-year NFL career.
“It felt like somebody at ESPN wanted to make sure that Ryan wasn’t just fired, but embarrassed,” Hill wrote. “Outkick constantly bashes Black athletes, journalists and sports analysts (myself included)… I truly hate bringing attention to Outkick but it’s a racist publication, and if there was any media site that would gladly dance on Ryan’s professional grave, it was that one.”
During his ESPN career, Clark was a regular on the “NFL Live” show, while making occasional appearances on the “First Take” and “Get Up” shows. In 2023, he won a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Personality/Studio Analyst.
