ESPN's Messy Roster Shakeup
On Monday afternoon, shortly after Ryan Clark went on air for ESPN’s “NFL Live,” journalists were firing off emails to the network on reports that the analyst was about to be laid off. ESPN had planned to inform Clark the following day as part of a broader round of cuts. Instead, executives were suddenly faced with a choice: move quickly to tell Clark personally during a commercial break, or risk him learning he’d lost his job from someone else.
Leadership at the Disney-owned network ultimately decided Clark should hear it from them first. So during a commercial break, a manager called to explain both the decision and why it was happening in the middle of a live broadcast. Clark and ESPN then mutually agreed he would not return to finish the on-air segment. Shortly after, around 5 p.m. ET, The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand broke the news that Clark had been cut, a day before ESPN had planned to notify employees as part of broader layoffs.
The leaked reports dramatically accelerated ESPN’s urgency, Status has learned, with executives…
Gayle King and Nate Burleson host “CBS Mornings.” (Photo by Michele Crowe/CBS News)
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