Radio host Dan Le Batard asserted that ESPN is now largely run by "McAfee and all of the White people" following recent layoffs, which he believes have disproportionately affected Black employees and voices.
Le Batard made these remarks on his show while discussing the departure of Ryan Clark from ESPN. He suggested that the network's remaining personnel would struggle to find Hispanic employees and that the current leadership would not cater to the perspectives of Black audiences.
"All of the Black people, or almost all of the Black people who were actually going to say things that Black people agree with strongly, all of them are gone too," Le Batard stated, according to a report from OutKick. "You’re gonna have trouble finding Hispanics, you’re gonna have a network run by McAfee and all of the White people now in charge there."
Le Batard also directed criticism towards OutKick, an outlet that reported on Clark's exit. He characterized the publication as a "dishonest entity in a costume of media" and accused it of causing embarrassment to Clark by leaking information about his departure. Le Batard claimed the reporting was done by an "institution covered in s--t stains" during a "dishonest time."
OutKick, in response, refuted Le Batard's claims of dishonesty, stating that while they, like any media outlet, have made corrections, their reporting is factual and their company is not dishonest. They questioned Le Batard's journalistic integrity for not focusing criticism on ESPN's handling of Clark's exit.
Clark's departure from ESPN followed an 11-year tenure with the network. OutKick reported that ESPN, after being informed of their impending report, moved to remove Clark from air during a commercial break and reportedly shared the story with The Athletic to break it first.