ESPN fired Ryan Clark during yesterday’s edition of NFL Live. Clark was giving his usual analysis, the show went to a commercial break, and Clark never returned for the final ten minutes. Nothing was said on-air during the show, but Mina Kimes looked visibly uncomfortable, and news broke online immediately.
ESPN’s public response is that they planned to fire Clark on Tuesday morning, but the news leaked. When they began receiving media inquiries for comment, they decided to let Clark know immediately so he wouldn’t learn about it online.
While I never want to see someone lose their job, many people have anticipated this move for several months. Even if you ignore the fact that Clark had to issue multiple public apologies over the last few years and got into an on-air dispute with Peter Schrager last year, the former NFL player’s $2 million salary left him particularly vulnerable. With ESPN swallowing all NFL Network talent via the recent merger (think: Ian Rapoport, Kyle Brandt, Mike Garafolo), Clark was in no man’s land: a highly paid rotational studio analyst but not a franchise studio star.
But this firing goes way beyond Ryan Clark. ESPN’s own financials explain why he was let go, why more cuts are coming, and why a $2 million salary became a liability at a company that pays Stephen A. Smith $20 million per year. Let’s follow the money.
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