Stephen A. Smith revealed ESPN brass asked his opinion before firing Ryan Clark but overruled his pleas, leaving the star analyst visibly shaken.
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EXCLUSIVE: Viral German fan Freddy welcomed to White House with tomahawks steaks, American muscle & MAHA friesEXCLUSIVE: ESPN to part ways with Cam Newton as part of talent layoffs that also included Ryan Clark WNBA All-Star charity initiative supports sports group that says it is ‘moving beyond the binary of girl’Sean Hannity: Democrats are now forced to contend with communists who want to take over their partyUS strikes target Iran's coastlineJesse Watters: Trump is setting the table, Iran's economy is on the brinkDan Dakich reacts to Ryan Clark being laid off by ESPN | Don't @ Me w/Dan Dakich Dan Dakich gives his reaction to Ryan Clark being laid off by ESPN on Monday while he was live on air.first confirmed the details of Clark's exit, revealing that executives pulled the plug on the Super Bowl champion while he was actively co-hosting"NFL Live" on live television.
After learning The Mothership had tossed his broadcast partner into the corporate meat grinder, Smith went straight to his YouTube show and let it rip.
"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," a visibly distraught Smith told his online audience. Network brass originally planned to notify the gridiron star on Tuesday. SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 06: ESPN reporter and analyst Stephen A. Smith is seen on the set of"First Take" on February 06, 2026 in San Francisco, California.
However, after OutKick's very own Dan Zaksheske and Bobby Burack contacted ESPN PR about an impending story detailing the dismissal, executives rushed to yank Clark off the broadcast so he would not read about his firing on social media. Yet, despite Smith being the ratings magnet on the network, his pleas to protect his colleague were ignored.
"Was I asked what I thought what my feelings were? Yes, I was," Smith admitted during his stream.
"Of course I said we have to keep them. But I don't get to make those decisions. And I don't get to ignore the fiscal and financial circumstances and ultimate ramifications that come with the job.
""I am not happy about this decision one bit. The bosses know I am not happy about this decision," Smith declared.
"I've made that very, very clear. The only thing that I can definitively say to you is that there's nobody that's going to be let go that was more of a friend and a brother to me than Ryan Clark.
" "When I saw how people were talking about him, I was like, 'They don't know him at all,'" Smith fumed. "He was conscientious and thoughtful. " Even as he voiced his disapproval, Smith conceded that executives operating at the direction of parent company Disney ultimately answer to the bottom line. "Decisions like this, I would imagine, don't come easy.
They have to be made... Business is business," Smith acknowledged.
"It's Tuesday, and by the end of the day you're going to hear about a lot more folks getting laid off. For all I know, some of my friends are going to be gone.
"Clark's tenure at ESPN also came with no shortage of controversy. He drew backlash for comments following Charlie Kirk's assassination, came under scrutiny for his handling of
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