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ESPN shocked NFL fans this week by parting ways with Ryan Clark during its latest round of layoffs.
Clark, a former Pro Bowl safety and Super Bowl champion, joined ESPN in 2015 and immediately climbed up the ladder. He made regular appearances on the network's top shows, such as “NFL Live” and “Get Up.” Unfortunately, he was let go after an excellent 11-year run.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported that Clark was laid off during Monday's episode of "NFL Live."
“Sources at ESPN say the reason they told Clark during the show was due to media inquiries into his departure and a fear that the news would leak out before they could inform him. Since after the Super Bowl in February, sources had told The Athletic that Clark’s job could be in jeopardy. Last week, The Athletic learned that Clark was likely to be let go,” Marchand wrote. “ESPN’s plan was to do that on Tuesday morning, but after receiving calls on the matter chose to inform him during his show as they did not want him to read it online before being told in person.”
This report from was later confirmed by TMZ's sources.
"We're told ESPN honchos decided to get ahead of the news and tell Ryan during a commercial break, rather than him see an alert on his phone," TMZ reported. "Ryan did not come back on the air after being informed he was being let go ... obviously, the news rattled him, and we're told both Ryan and ESPN agreed it was better not to return."
According to TMZ, Clark's colleagues didn't know he was going to be let go during Monday's show.
How is Ryan Clark handling this situation?
Despite losing his spot at ESPN, Clark posted a classy message on social media earlier this week.
“Sending prayers and love to all those laid off today by ESPN,” Clark wrote. “So many of you have poured your life into that company, & I know how you’re feeling right now. My hope is as this door closes another opens for you all. God bless!”
While Clark seems to be handling this situation well, Stephen A. Smith put ESPN on blast for getting rid of one of its top analysts.
“Ryan Clark, someone I consider to be arguably the best NFL analyst in America, is no longer with ESPN,” Smith said. “I can’t even tell y’all how much that hurts. He’s a man, so he’ll handle it the way men do. But I’m going to miss him, and I’m not happy about this decision one bit. The bosses know I’m not happy about this decision. I’ve made that very, very clear.”
If we had to guess, it won't take long before Clark is back on his feet.
