Today sees ESPN and the NFL Network incurring layoffs, yet again, as parent company Disney goes through a round of corporate downsizing. Much of the bloodshed will be the result of ESPN’s takeover of the NFL Network last year, so consolidation and the elimination of overlap positions is in play.
But financial decisions are also evident, as several on-air personalities are being let go as well as some others with lengthy tenures at the network. One big name is Karl Ravech, who has been a presence on air for more than 30 years. Ravech just announced the MLB game with the Dodgers last night, and now he is cast off. Awful Announcing reports that at the NFL Network, a number of prominent names have been tabbed for exit interviews.
David Lloyd, Stephania Bell, Tom Pelissero part of ESPN, NFL Network layoffs https://t.co/O8D2Ntg9ym
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) July 21, 2026
One of the bigger names losing his position was announced last night, as NFL analyst and former player Ryan Clark was also let go. There was melodrama over this decision, and the manner in which he came to learn of his firing. Clark had been on the air late Monday afternoon co-hosting “NFL Live” when notification was made, and he did not return for the later portion of that broadcast. The interest is in the timing of it all.
Over at OutKick they had received word of Clark’s potential dismissal, and after reportedly collecting confirmation from four sources, the decision was made to reach out to ESPN for comment. That outreach happened to coincide with the airtime of “NFL Live.”
Reporter Dan Zaksheske details what transpired. Upon getting word back from the ESPN executive in the network’s PR department—they exchanged communications, during which it was requested that OutKick hold off on publication. Ultimately, the network relented on the request, and Clark was apparently notified during the show in order to avoid him learning of his dismissal from the internet.
In this process, as OutKick was preparing to publish their report, at The Athletic, the New York Times sports portal, they posted a very abbreviated announcement of Clark’s firing – a three-sentence dose of brevity that beat OutKick’s article by one minute. It certainly appears likely writer Andrew Marchand had been tipped off by someone at the network, possibly in an effort to manage the narrative.
As Zaksheske explains it:
I asked ESPN to confirm or deny the report and clarify Clark’s employment status. The network was given until 5 p.m. to respond. “If we do not hear back by then, we will note in the story that ESPN did not respond before publication,” my email said. 25 minutes later, an ESPN VP of communications responded.
“Dan, thank you for reaching out. We are trying to chase this down,” he wrote. He then asked if OutKick would delay publication until 5:45. We declined. At 4:38, I told ESPN we were moving forward with publication but would add anything the network provided before 5:45. One minute later, ESPN acknowledged that decision.
It seemed the matter was settled. Then, at 4:49, without any prompting from us, ESPN sent another email. “I think you were anyways, but you can stick to your original timeline.” That message still doesn't make sense. ESPN already knew we were publishing. We had said so clearly 11 minutes earlier. Something had clearly changed, but the network wouldn't tell us what that was.
Since people are posting false accounts of what happened yesterday day between myself, @burackbobby_, @espn and @AndrewMarchand, I want to set the record straight. Here's exactly how the Ryan Clark layoff situation played out:
— Dan Zaksheske (@RealDanZak) July 21, 2026
Bobby and I developed separate lines of reporting…
In its expanded piece on the Clark firing, Marchand seems to confirm the series of events on Monday.
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. 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.
Looking over the smoldering ESPN landscape, what appears to be taking place is throwing a significant amount of money at a handful of big names, such as ratings magnet Pat McAfee. Newly appointed Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro, who took over from Bob Iger this March, is reviewing all aspects of Disney's properties and making tough decisions to streamline the monolithic studio.
With a fresh round of ESPN layoffs, it is a good time to reup this gem from @JimmySportToons. pic.twitter.com/ETXIhJ7x23
— Brad Slager: CNN+ Lifetime Subscriber (@MartiniShark) July 21, 2026
The NFL is one of the primary revenue drivers for the company’s television interests, and its standing at ESPN, the NFL Network, and ABC is necessary. On a given year NFL games occupy roughly the top 95 out of 100 ratings earners on television. That ESPN is in a position of constriction while being in the left lane for football broadcasts is a sign of underlying issues.
Seeing top talent being let go for the bottom line makes you wonder just how that bottom actually rests for the network, and parent company Disney.
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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