Steelers Now
There is now a better explanation as to why former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark was fired from ESPN.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Ryan Clark was surprisingly among several of those let go from ESPN this week, and NFL analyst Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis believes he knows why.
Sharp revealed that Clark’s recent exchange with ESPN’s Peter Schrager on Get Up factored into his firing.
“That’s the non-player in you,” Clark said in reference to Schrager’s take on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
“Don’t belittle me like that,” Schrager responded. “I can come and say as three ex-players are saying one thing and give an alternative perspective.”
“What I need for you to do is not get mad and let me finish for once,” Clark fired back.
This could be simply speculation by Sharp, but he seems to have a source that he trusts telling him that Clark’s exchange with Schrager did, in fact, play a role in his firing.
How much remains a mystery, but it may offer a bit more of an explanation as to why Clark was fired.
Clark was reportedly notified that he was laid off in the middle of a live broadcast of “NFL Live” on Monday because ESPN feared the news would leak to the media before they could tell him in person.
He is one of the highest-profile on-air personalities ESPN is letting go, earning around $2 million per year. It remains unclear whether Clark’s contract is up or if he’s being let go with time left on his deal.
Clark joined the network in 2015 after retiring from the NFL and was re-upped in 2021. Another contract negotiation in 2024 was more contentious, with Clark posting on social media that he believed he was worth more than what he was being paid.
Clark has served a role on ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown”, a pregame show. He also regularly appeared on one of ESPN’s flagship daily programs, “First Take.”
Since 2022, Clark has been part of “The Pivot Podcast,” a show he hosts alongside former NFL players Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder.
Clark played eight seasons with the Steelers, sharing the back end of the secondary with Troy Polamalu. In total, he racked up 667 tackles, 12 interceptions, three forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in black and gold. He was known as enforcer in his role, dishing out several notable bone-jarring hits.
Brendan Howe contributed.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Analyst Reveals What Factored Into Ex-Steeler Ryan Clark’s Firing
