Ryan Clark Alleges ESPN Tried to 'Humiliate' Him in On-Air Firing
Former NFL player claims his dismissal from ESPN was strategically leaked and designed to cause embarrassment.
Ryan Clark, a former NFL safety, has asserted that ESPN intentionally sought to humiliate him by the manner of his dismissal from the network, claiming his termination was leaked to a conservative sports website. Clark detailed his experience on The Breakfast Club podcast, suggesting his exit from 'NFL Live' was distinct from the layoffs affecting other colleagues.
According to Clark, while other employees were informed of their dismissals on a Tuesday, he was told on a Monday and let go on air. He further stated that his firing or layoff was selectively leaked to OutKick, a website described as a far-right, conservative sports outlet. Clark indicated this leak was a deliberate attempt to embarrass him, given his public stances on race in sports, which have drawn criticism from conservatives.
"But it was also purposeful, and it was also meant in my opinion to humiliate, right?" Clark asked. "And in leaking it to OutKick, you now know if anybody is going to curry favor for you in this decision, it's going to be [OutKick]. Because it's me."
The Athletic's Andrew Marchand initially reported Clark's departure during a live taping of 'NFL Live', which led to his early exit from the program's final ten minutes. TMZ later reported that ESPN learned of an impending story about Clark's status and decided to inform him during the live broadcast. While TMZ suggested Clark was not forced off the air and agreed it was better not to complete the episode, Clark contested this account on X, questioning "should I be done now?" and receiving an affirmative answer.
Clark is set to host video episodes of his podcast, 'The Pivot,' on Netflix. The multi-year partnership, beginning September 8, will feature new episodes streaming exclusively on Tuesdays and Fridays. The podcast's existing content will also move to Netflix, while remaining available on YouTube. Netflix will also have first-look rights to new content from Pivot25 Productions, a company co-founded by Clark.
Clark is currently under contract with ESPN until the end of February, which prohibits him from analyzing the NFL until his old deal expires. He indicated that his contract stipulated he would continue to be paid until that date.