1. As I’m sure most of you know, ESPN NFL analyst Ryan Clark was told he was being let go by the company Monday while he was on the air as a panelist for NFL Live.
Clark broke his silence Tuesday morning, but did not address what happened to him the previous day.
Sending prayers and love to all those laid off today by ESPN. So many of you have poured your life into that company, & I know how you’re feeling right now.
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) July 21, 2026
My hope is as this door closes another opens for you all. God bless!
The natural reaction to hearing this news is naturally, “Oh my goodness, this is terrible, how on earth can this happen?”
ESPN’s plan was to inform Clark on Tuesday that he was being let go. That’s when the company had scheduled a round of layoffs for several on-air personalities.
However, the news of his departure leaked on Monday and ESPN received multiple inquiries about the news. Instead of having Clark find out ESPN was cutting him from a website or on social media, the company called an audible and told him during NFL Live.
ESPN was in a no-win situation here. Once reporters knew that Clark was going to be laid off, it was going to be a mad scramble to deal with the situation. The company wanted to be the one to give Clark the news, and rightfully so. If it waited, there was a chance Clark would’ve found out from another source.
Obviously, the way things went down Monday were far from ideal, but I understand why ESPN chose to tell Clark when it did.
I know people’s first instinct is to rip ESPN, but what was it supposed to do? You can make the argument that the network shouldn’t have put Clark on the air Monday if it new he was going to get axed on Tuesday, and I think that’s fair. However, that’s not really how layoffs work. There’s a process. There are several layers to it. Human resources is involved.
Layoffs are ugly no matter what. Unfortunately, it was especially ugly for Clark on Monday, but it actually could’ve been much uglier.
2. As of this writing, there have been reports of other ESPN staffers getting laid off. The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reports that Karl Ravech has been let go. While ESPN’s MLB schedule is limited this season, this leaves an opening for a play-by-play voice. Ravech called last night’s Dodgers-Phillies game that aired on ESPN. My guess is that Boog Sciambi could be elevated to this role.
NEWS: Karl Ravech, one of the most prominent voices at ESPN for more than three decades, is expected to be let go by the network on Tuesday as part of the company's layoffs, The Athletic has learned.https://t.co/keGZD6JTpd
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) July 21, 2026
3. Speaking of ESPN and baseball, Joe Buck hasn’t called MLB games for a while. However, that little fact hasn’t stopped Buck from still getting bashed by completely clueless people on social media.
Just so I can sleep tonight. What game do you think I’m doing at the moment? The Phillies game? On ESPN? I think I’m having a hell of a game right now. You don’t? https://t.co/Vl8sTFWLBE
— Joe Buck (@Buck) July 21, 2026
4. Umpire Bill Miller interfered with a play in last night’s Reds-Mariners game. This did not sit well with Cincy pitcher Caleb Ferguson, who called Miller a lot of names and dropped a lot of curse words.
It’s always fun to hear how the broadcasters spin moments like this because they don’t want to come right out and say that Ferguson called Miller a “f---ing fatass.”
5. I wish this was a television 30 for 30 and not just a podcast version because I would watch every minute of it.
The Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani 👀
— 30 for 30 (@30for30) July 20, 2026
The newest 30 for 30 podcast details the biggest scandal in modern baseball — When Shohei Ohtani's interpreter stole millions from him. Listen to the first two episodes on July 28th 📲🍿 pic.twitter.com/wBTur8pjOJ
6. The latest SI Media With Jimmy Traina features a conversation with former Around the Horn host Tony Reali.
Reali talks about his new podcast, Real Deal With Tony Reali, the concept behind the show and why he wants to relive certain moments in sports.
In addition, Reali talks about what the past year has been like for him since ATH’s cancellation, why he waited so long to take on a new gig, being taken aback by the lack of offers he received over the past year, how he views ESPN and the changing landscape of the sports media business.
Following Reali, Sal Licata from SNY TV and “The Sal Licata Show” joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week, we discussed the Bryce Harper/FanDuel/Cameo scandal, whether batting average matters in baseball, ESPN’s Wimbledon coverage, the Jay-Z concert at Yankee Stadium that started three hours late, Benson Boone, The Bear, Shameless, a new season of Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring and more.
You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.
You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on YouTube.
7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Today would’ve been Robin Williams’s 75th birthday. Here is the legendary comic on golf.
Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.
