ESPN executives apparently did not forget about Ryan Clark’s on-air squabble with former colleague Peter Schrager.
Clark was filming an episode of “NFL Live” on Monday when ESPN fired him after over a decade serving as an analyst for the “Worldwide Leader.” A report from The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand detailed what went into the network’s decision to part ways with Clark.
Per Marchand, ESPN “soured” on Clark because of “issues with some of his choices.” The network’s frustrations reportedly “peaked” last September when Clark belittled colleague Peter Schrager on an episode of “Get Up.”
Schrager defended Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb for his role in an opening-night loss last season. Clark admonished Schrager, claiming the latter’s stance showed “the non-player in you.” You can watch the exchange below.
ESPN’s Ryan Clark and Peter Schrager got into it after Ryan Clark disagreed with his take:
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) September 5, 2025
"That’s the non-player in you" 😳
pic.twitter.com/Sd5GkxkPQO
The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back played 13 seasons in the NFL before moving to a career in media shortly after retiring from football in 2015. While Clark quickly issued an apology to Schrager, the damage had already been done.
Clark has issued several apologies over the past couple of years. Last October, he expressed his regret after he made erroneous claims about the fatal car crash caused by the late Kyren Lacy. Months before that, he apologized to Robert Griffin III for bringing up his wife in an argument.
Clark was reportedly making more than $2 million per year and was slated to be a big part of ESPN’s Super Bowl LXI coverage before being cut loose.
