ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith responded to the firing of Ryan Clark and is “not happy about this decision one bit.”
A longtime ESPN NFL analyst, Clark was fired while on Monday’s “NFL Live” during a break in the show as a part of a large round of layoffs.
ESPN executives didn’t want Clark to hear from a different source, so chose to tell him during the show on Monday. He did not return after the break.
“I don’t know all those details and to be quite honest with you, I don’t care,” Smith said on his YouTube channel. “What I care about is my brother Ryan Clark. A person that I consider to be arguably the best NFL analyst in America, is no longer a member of ESPN.
“I can’t even tell y’all how much that hurts.”
Clark and Smith worked together often on ESPN’s “First Take” and Smith said he always loved the debates with the former NFL player.
Smith said that he made it “very clear” to his bosses that he was not happy with the decision.
He also said that ESPN consulted him about the firing of Clark, and he told them “we have to keep him,” but the “fiscal and financial circumstances” are up to someone else.
Smith also addressed the public’s reaction to Clark and ESPN parting ways. He said he’s had a refrain a lot from responding to people spreading false information.
“Damn near got blisters on my tongue and my fingers from biting my tongue and biting my fingers from refraining from going after folks when I saw how people were talking about him,” Smith said. “They don’t know him at all. They don’t know him at all.”
Smith continued that he may disagree with ESPN but he will not insult his employers. He said the days of ESPN hiring whoever they want whenever they want are “long gone.”
He warned that there are going to be more names fired on Tuesday and in the future, saying he might be next, citing when he was fired by ESPN in 2009.
Clark was just one of many laid off from ESPN today, notably joined by Cam Newton, Karl Ravech, Bart Scott and Tom Pelissero.
“Sending prayers and love to all those laid off today by ESPN,” Clark wrote about the layoffs on X. “So many of you have poured your life into that company, & I know how you’re feeling right now. My hope is as this door closes another opens for you all. God bless!”
