Ryan Clark’s departure from ESPN has become one of the biggest discussions in the NFL community. But while much of the discussion centered on the former NFL safety’s exit, longtime draft analyst Todd McShay shifted the focus toward ESPN itself. He criticized how the network handled the situation after a fan account on X questioned why he seemed so invested in ESPN firing Clark.

“Not invested,” McShay fired back on X. “Just pointing out the obvious—laying someone off mid-show, clipping his take from said show, then going a step further by posting it on your official account is either diabolical or incompetent.”

He then followed up to clarify that his frustrations were purely aimed at the network’s operational process.

“This was never about Ryan Clark or his take. Ironically, it was pointed out to me tonight that I’m still listed as the host of ESPN’s First Draft pod… which has me leaning toward incompetence.”

ESPN laid off Clark after he spent more than a decade with the network. According to The Athletic’s Andrew Merchand, Clark found out that he lost his job while he was still on air, during Monday’s taping of NFL Live. Clark did not return after the scheduled break.

The broadcast initially began with the screen split between Clark, Mina Kimes, Adam Schefter, and Laura Rutledge. But by the end of the episode, the screen had just three sections.

Prior to his sudden dismissal, Clark’s ESPN tenure was highly successful. For more than a decade, he evolved into one of the most recognizable faces in sports media. He regularly appeared on massive flagship programs like NFL Live, First Take, and Monday Night Countdown. Beyond his daily network duties, he successfully branched out as a co-host of The Pivot podcast. It further cemented his prominent voice in the football landscape.

As per The Athletic, ESPN didn’t like Clark’s salary being above $2 million. Merchand also reported that ESPN planned to let Clark know about his dismissal on Tuesday. But the unrest around the media forced the officials to act quickly. 

Now, McShay wasn’t commenting as an outsider. He had experienced a similar fate back in 2023. After serving ESPN for about 17 years, the network decided to let him go. His criticism comes directly from firsthand experience.

He was deeply frustrated by how the network chose to handle the firing of one of its most recognizable NFL analysts.