Ryan Clark Fired by ESPN

Published July 20, 2026 at 8:53 PM EDT

The former Super Bowl champion has burned several bridges in the media.

BRISTOL, CT -- Andrew Marchand of The Athletic is reporting that ESPN has severed its relationship with former NFL star Ryan Clark, then followed up with the detail that Clark learned he’d lost his job while NFL Live was still airing, and he didn’t finish the show.

ESPN laid off Clark in a surprise move, informing him of the termination in the middle of a live taping of "NFL Live" to prevent the news from leaking to the media. He has been an on-air personality with ESPN since 2015 and has acquired a reputation as a "race baiter".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uMpylf3Smw

Ryan Clark’s most notable public run-ins and feuds in the sports media involved the following individuals: 

Peter Schrager: Clark had a highly publicized, on-air clash on ESPN’s Get Up with the NFL Network analyst regarding CeeDee Lamb. Clark dismissed Schrager’s point by stating, "That is the non-player in you," which caused the two to continue an uncomfortable confrontation off-air. Clark later publicly apologized to his ESPN leadership over the incident.

Robert Griffin III (RG3): Clark and RG3 engaged in a tense, personal feud revolving around commentary on college basketball stars Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. The back-and-forth got personal enough that Clark referenced Griffin's interracial marriage, a dispute for which Clark later expressed regret.

Aaron Rodgers: Clark and the Jets quarterback traded public barbs after Rodgers appeared on The Pat McAfee Show and criticized the state of sports media and ESPN’s SportsCenter. Clark clapped back, pointing to his own Super Bowl rings and media credentials.

Jason Whitlock: The Outkick commentator frequently criticized Clark, often accusing him of injecting divisive racial narratives into sports debates—such as in his coverage of quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Dave Portnoy: The Barstool Sports founder heavily criticized Clark, labeling him a "race-baiter" following the Peter Schrager on-air incident.