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Ryan Clark is pushing back on the idea he wasn't forced off the air after learning ESPN had fired him ... saying he asked if he should be done for the day and was flatly told, "Yes."
The former NFL star clarified Wednesday how his final "NFL Live" appearance ended while quoting a TMZ Sports post about his abrupt exit, writing ... "I wasn’t forced? 'I ask, should I be done now?' The answer was 'yes.'"
As we reported ... Clark learned during a commercial break Monday that he was part of a mass layoff at ESPN -- and he never returned to the broadcast.
A source with direct knowledge told TMZ ... the network originally planned to notify Clark on Tuesday ... but ESPN learned a report about his firing was about to drop while he was filming "NFL Live." Rather than risk Clark seeing the news through an alert on his phone, honchos decided to tell him during the break.
Our source said Clark was rattled by the news and both sides agreed it was better for him not to return to the show ... though Clark's clarification suggests ESPN ultimately made the call that his day was over.
We were also told Clark's colleagues had no advance warning about the firing. Some believed the talent's on-camera nodding meant they knew what was coming ... but our source said they were simply reacting to the points Clark made during what became his final segment.
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