“Show Dignity” – Dan Patrick Slams ESPN for Firing Ryan Clark Without Any Prior Intimation

Ryan Clark's abrupt firing by ESPN continues to make noise.

“Show Dignity” – Dan Patrick Slams ESPN for Firing Ryan Clark Without Any Prior Intimation

Ryan Clark and Dan Patrick inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

Dan Patrick said the quiet part aloud regarding the latest string of ESPN layoffs that saw veterans of the sports media world Ryan Clark, Karl Ravech, Tom Pelissero, and others lose their jobs. Big conglomerates routinely part ways as a cost-cutting measure, but Patrick did not appreciate the way ESPN handled the firings.

Patrick stated that if ESPN had already identified the people that the higher-ups wished to terminate, they might have contacted them in advance. Firing someone on the set of a show or by text message is unfair to the staff.

According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic and TMZ Sports, former NFL DB Ryan Clark received the news of his firing while filming an episode of NFL Live.

There’s a lot of people who lost jobs, and I hate seeing that in the industry. The only thing I would say is, show dignity to those people in how you let them go… If you get to the point that you know you’re not going to keep them, then contact them right away. Not wait. Not wait until somebody gets on set.

Dan Patrick said in a recent episode of his show

Per Marchand, ESPN had planned to announce the news of the layoffs on Tuesday. However, the network wanted to avoid other news outlets breaking the news before them. According to Outkick’s Bobby Burack, Outkick had given a one-hour deadline to ESPN PR before they promised to make Clark’s firing public knowledge.

Outkick told them an hour before we had the news, and would give them time to comment/tell Ryan Clark. In that hour, they pulled Clark off the show but ran and told another reporter to try to beat us.

That’s when ESPN took the drastic measure of firing Clark mid-show. Clark disconnected from his Zoom call and did not film the final half of Monday’s NFL Live.

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Ryan Clark gave his honest opinion on Isaiah Likely’s role on the Giants before ESPN fired him

Clark began his NFL career with the New York Giants after going undrafted in 2002. He spent two years in the Big Apple before signing with their rivals, the Washington Commanders.

"Show Dignity" - Dan Patrick Slams ESPN for Firing Ryan Clark Without Any Prior Intimation
Ryan Clark (Image via ESPN)

Clark delivered some positive news for his former club, especially for new signing tight end Isaiah Likely. Clark argued that Likely could prove to be a great pairing with second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.

When you think about how he was paired with Mark Andrews in Baltimore, he was the guy that gave you the explosive play that could stretch you down the seam. Now with [Jaxson] Dart to give him an outlet that’s closer to the line of scrimmage, closer to the tackle box…. He can have a young Travis Kelce effect for this New York Giants offense. I believe he’s just waiting to be unleashed.

Ryan Clark said on NFL Live

Likely signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Giants earlier in the year, reuniting with former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens drafted Likely 141st overall in 2022. He made 63 appearances, caught 135 passes for 1568 yards, and scored 15 touchdowns.

As for Clark, he spent eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers after leaving DC. He won a Super Bowl in 2008 and his only Pro Bowl honor in 2011. Clark returned to Washington for one more year before retiring from the NFL in 2015. Clark played 177 games, accumulated 938 tackles, 55 passes defensed, 19 tackles for loss, and 16 interceptions.

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