PITTSBURGH — Ryan Clark, a former safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has been fired from his role with ESPN.
The former Steelers defender was hit a surprising layoff after being a prominent voice and figure for ESPN for several years. He was an analyst for the sports network since 2016 and was a frequent guest on the ESPN shows First Take and the Up & Adams Show,
The news was first broken by Andrew Marchand of The Athletic.
What Happened?
The full details of Clark’s dismissal have not yet been released, but we know a few details. The most important is that Clark was let go. Second, Clark was expected to be a big piece of ESPN's Super Bowl coverage, which makes this firing even more surprising. The last is that the network is expected to announce more layoffs, according to The Athletic article.
Clark was with ESPN for nearly a decade following his NFL career ending.
Why This Move is Odd
The dismissal of Clark and the subsequent firings are odd for a few reasons. The first is that the network is seemingly bigger than ever. With their acquisition of the Super Bowl television rights, the introduction of WWE premium live events to the network, and the way they’ve handed out huge deals to personalities on the network, like Pat McAfee for example, it appears that ESPN has plenty of cash and power.
So, why are they cutting bait with talented and experienced people like Clark? It seems a bit odd, as he is one of the most popular players-turned-analysts around right now. Despite his popularity, ESPN does not view him as integral to their future success.
What’s Next for Clark?
In addition to his role with ESPN, Clark was a host of several other programs. He’s one of the hosts of The Pivot and Inside the NFL, which are both not affiliated with ESPN. So, even as this bad news hits, it’s far from the end of Clark in sports media.
Clark played eight seasons with the Steelers between 2006 and 2013. He was a member of the team’s Super Bowl victory over the Arizona Cardinals in 2009.
Recently, he shared some eye-opening comments that cast doubt on the Steelers’ middle linebacker group. He revealed that during a conversation with Steelers new assistant head coach Joe Whitt Jr., the pair discussed how the organization needs to solve their middle linebacker issues. Maybe Clark has some free time available and could help out his former organization?
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