ESPN conducted another round of layoffs Tuesday, cutting several prominent on-air personalities including longtime baseball voice Karl Ravech and NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, according to sources briefed on the moves.
The cuts come as ESPN continues integrating assets from its acquisition of NFL Network earlier this year, a deal that gave the NFL a 10% equity stake in ESPN. Most of the job impacts are expected at the former NFL Network operation in Los Angeles, though some Bristol-based roles were also affected.
Ryan Clark, a fixture on ESPN’s NFL studio programming for more than a decade, was informed of his dismissal Monday while appearing on “NFL Live.” He did not return after a commercial break. Sources said the network accelerated the notification after media inquiries to ensure Clark heard the news directly from an executive.
Ravech, 61, joined ESPN in 1993 and became one of its signature baseball voices as the lead play-by-play announcer for MLB coverage, longtime host of “Baseball Tonight,” and a regular on “SportsCenter.” He also called college basketball. Sources said Ravech had not yet been informed when reached by phone Tuesday morning after calling a Phillies-Dodgers game the previous night.
Pelissero, a top NFL Network insider and regular on its programming, is expected to depart after ESPN paired its own Adam Schefter with Ian Rapoport following the acquisition. Charles Davis, a longtime NFL Network draft analyst who also works college football for CBS, is also expected to be cut from the NFL Network side.
Additional names confirmed by sources include SportsCenter veteran David Lloyd, who has been with the network since 1997, and injury analyst Stephania Bell, who spent nearly 20 years at ESPN. News of the Lloyd and Bell moves was first reported by Front Office Sports.
In an internal memo, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro wrote that the company has made “significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN.” He added: “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.” ESPN declined further public comment.
The latest reductions fit a pattern that has defined ESPN for more than a decade. Once viewed as largely insulated from media industry turbulence, the network has conducted multiple rounds of cuts since 2015 as cord-cutting, rising rights costs and streaming shifts pressured traditional cable models. A 2023 wave eliminated high-profile talent including Jeff Van Gundy, Keyshawn Johnson and Jalen Rose. Earlier in 2026, roughly 30 off-camera employees were let go in a smaller round partly tied to revenue losses from a YouTube TV carriage dispute.
The NFL Network acquisition, valued at approximately $3 billion and finalized after regulatory approval, created clear overlaps in NFL news gathering, studio analysis and production between Bristol, New York and Los Angeles operations. ESPN has spent months coordinating the combined workforce. Ian Rapoport signed a multiyear deal to remain as a top insider alongside Schefter, but other roles proved redundant.
Clark, 46, a former Pittsburgh Steelers safety who joined ESPN after retiring in 2014, had been a regular on “Monday Night Countdown,” “Get Up,” “First Take” and “NFL Live.” He also co-hosts the popular “The Pivot” podcast. His most recent contract, signed in 2024, paid more than $2 million annually. Internal sources had indicated since after the Super Bowl that his position was vulnerable following on-air friction, including a September exchange with colleague Peter Schrager.
Despite the cuts, ESPN retains rights to major properties including the Super Bowl, NBA Finals and College Football Playoff. The network remains one of the most powerful platforms in sports media even as it continues reshaping its roster and operations under Disney ownership.
The full scope of Tuesday’s reductions, particularly among behind-the-scenes staff at NFL Network, was still emerging. Additional names could surface in the coming days.
