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ESPN and the NFL Network will lose prominent on-air personalities as part of the company’s latest layoff process.
Key Points
- ESPN and the NFL Network have lost on-air personalities amid a new round of Disney layoffs.
- Karl Ravech, a 33-year veteran of ESPN, was laid off amid the process.
- The NFL Network also let Tom Pelissero go from the football-oriented channel.
ESPN and the NFL Network have lost high-profile on-air personalities — including a 33-year veteran of sports broadcasting — amid a new round of layoffs by parent company Disney.
Entertainment Weekly has learned that Karl Ravech, who first started at ESPN more than three decades ago, was let go from the sports-oriented network as part of Tuesday’s cuts.
Tom Pelissero, an NFL professional who appeared on-air for the NFL Network, was also laid off amid the shakeup.
The layoffs came after ESPN, which is owned by Disney, finalized an acquisition deal to purchase the NFL Network in January. ESPN acquired the football channel in a deal that allowed the National Football League to keep a 10 percent stake in the operation, with Disney owning the rest, according to a New York Times report.
Per the publication, ESPN head chairman Jimmy Pitaro sent an internal memo to staffers indicating that the network “made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN,” and that “while most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition,” the team planned to “notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted.”
The news followed ESPN previously cutting ties with NFL analyst Ryan Clark on Monday, with the Times reporting that other notable personalities will be impacted by the cuts as well.
The outlet listed names like former NFL player Cam Newton, SportsCenter personality David Lloyd, injury reporter Stephania Bell, ex-linebacker Bart Scott, and NFL Network broadcaster Charles Davis as others who might be impacted.
EW reached out to ESPN for comment on the reported cuts.
Ravech, 61, is a sports broadcasting staple, having joined ESPN in 1993 and reported across numerous event telecasts and studio-style programs, ranging from Baseball Tonight to SportsCenter.
At the NFL Network, Pelissero has become a recognizable figure on the channel, and has amassed a sizable following on social media.
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Disney reportedly laid off hundreds of employees as part of the process as well, which marks the company’s third round of layoffs in 2026.
In a memo sent to staff in April and published by The Hollywood Reporter, new CEO Josh D’Amaro wrote: “Over the past several months, we have looked at ways in which we can streamline our operations in various parts of the company to ensure we deliver the world-class creativity and innovation our fans value and expect from Disney,” adding, “Given the fast-moving pace of our industries, this requires us to constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs.”
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
