‘Truly Embarrassing’: Analyst Calls Out Ryan Clark’s Emotional Outburst After Abrupt ESPN Layoff

July 25, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

Former NFL star Ryan Clark laughs during ESPN First Take at Bethune-Cookman University during the show’s HBCU fall tour, © Imagn

After more than a decade with ESPN, former NFL star Ryan Clark was fired in the middle of a show he was on as part of a big wave of layoffs at the network. Soon enough, he went on The Pivot podcast to talk about his firing, and he did not hold back his tears, going emotional during the show. However, not everyone felt for him.

The Blaze contributor TJ Moe soon took to X and posted a clip of Ryan Clark in tears, saying that his doing so was just embarrassing.

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“Embarrassing. All of the men crying in the media. Embarrassing. Cut it out. Cry in private if you need to. No shame in shedding the occasional tear in private. All of this public crying is truly embarrassing.” he tweeted.

Clark is best known for his stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he won a Super Bowl ring. He then transitioned to broadcast media after retiring. He would make appearances on various NFL-related shows on ESPN before finally hosting NFL Live.

His firing was part of a larger round of layoffs due to the merger between ESPN and the NFL Network, and he was not the only on-air personality laid off. However, the way he was fired became controversial, as he was let go during the middle of NFL Live.

Karl Ravech, David Lloyd, Cam Newton, Bart Scott, Andreas Hale and Dan Hajducky were also fired, along with analyst Charles Davis and reporter Tom Pelissero at NFL Network.

Ryan Clark Says He Was Not ‘Laid Off’ But Fired By ESPN

During that same appearance on The Pivot podcast, Ryan Clark was defiant despite shedding some tears. He noted that he was not merely laid off, but was fired by the company.

“Let me put this to bed, I wasn’t laid off … I was fired,” he said. “ESPN is using ‘laid off’ as a cover and a camouflage for what they already intended on doing.”

Clark also accused ESPN of leaking his firing to Outkick so there would be a negative narrative surrounding his release.