(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
ESPN continues to clean house, as today it was reported that John Clayton got the ax from the network. Clayton was a reporter and writer for ESPN for 23 years, so this is a major bummer. I grew up watching this dude analyze the NFL on ESPN, and I will most definitely miss his familiar presence on my TV screen. Clayton may have looked like a giant nerd, but he knew his shit when it came to football.
Here’s Pro Football Talk with more details on Clayton’s firing.
Clayton’s ESPN Radio show in Seattle will remain in place, as the local ESPN Radio affiliates are not actually owned by ESPN. But he is done covering the league for ESPN on television and on ESPN.com.
ESPN is laying off about 100 employees. Clayton joins a list of many laid-off ESPN workers who are recognizable to NFL fans, a list that also includes Adam Caplan, Andrew Brandt, Trent Dilfer, Ed Werder, Britt McHenry, Ashley Fox and Paul Kuharsky.
Getting rid of Clayton and bringing in Chip Kelly is exactly the kind of move that’s causing ESPN to slip. There’s way too much flash and not enough substance at the Worldwide Leader these days.
Goodbye, John. We’ll always have this badass commercial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSGfVVBMTIQ
