ESPN is undergoing another round of layoffs following its acquisition of the NFL Network, TheWrap has learned.
“Over the past several months, we’ve made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN. Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future,” chairman Jimmy Pitaro shared in a staff memo on Tuesday. “As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today.”
“While most of the job impacts are tied to the acquisition, we will also notify colleagues in other parts of the company today that their positions have been impacted. We are committed to treating employees with compassion and respect and to providing support as they navigate this transition,” he continued. “Even in moments like these, the strength of ESPN comes from our people, our teamwork and our shared mission to serve sports fans.”
The layoffs notably come months after ESPN bought the NFL Network, RedZone Channel and NFL Fantasy in February. Additionally, an initial round of layoffs took place in April as part of Disney’s companywide overhaul.
On-air personalities Karl Ravech and Ryan Clark have both reportedly been impacted by the job cuts. Ravech joined ESPN in 1993 and is an expert at calling MLB games, serving as a host of both “Baseball Tonight” and “SportsCenter” in the past. Clark, meanwhile, was reportedly informed of his termination during Monday’s “NFL Live” mid-show, per The Athletic.
“Before the madness of yesterday, I woke up, got in my Tundra, drove to Planet Fitness, and got to work,” he wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “The rest of the day was eventful, but the journey continues. My peace is with God, and my humility comes from within. I’ll continue to build myself so the world can never strip me of what’s real.”
TheWrap has reached out to ESPN and Disney for further comment.
