ESPN ends contract with NFL analyst Ryan Clark amid broader Disney layoffs
ESPN informed NFL analyst Ryan Clark of his termination during a live broadcast, and the network is expected to announce additional staff cuts on Tuesday as part of Disney's restructuring.
ESPN told NFL analyst Ryan Clark that his contract would be terminated while he was on the live program "NFL Live," sources said. The decision was communicated during the show after media inquiries raised concerns that the news might leak before Clark was personally informed. Clark, who has been with the network for more than a decade and earned more than $2 million annually, did not finish the episode.
The move comes as ESPN and its sister channel NFL Network are slated to announce further layoffs on Tuesday, affecting a small number of on-air personalities at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., and a larger group of staff at NFL Network. The cuts are part of a broader restructuring by Disney, the parent company of both outlets.
Sources indicated that ESPN executives had grown uneasy with Clark following a verbal dispute with fellow analyst Peter Schrager earlier this season, which included an on-air exchange that later led to a public apology from Clark. Clark, a former NFL player who spent 13 seasons primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers, had been slated to contribute to ESPN's Super Bowl LXI coverage, the network's first broadcast of the event.
ESPN declined to comment on Clark's departure or the anticipated layoffs. The network also did not provide details about the number of positions that may be eliminated.