Former ESPN personality Ryan Clark says the network published a profile of Sophie Cunningham’s views on transgender athletes after his firing to signal a shift in its brand and win favor with OutKick.
Clark was let go more than three months ago, but has continued to discuss the decision. On the “All The Smoke” podcast Thursday, he described how he believes OutKick framed Cunningham’s comments alongside news of his departure.
“‘A great brand switch for ESPN. Ryan Clark was fired this week and now Sophie Cunningham leads the news,’” Clark said, paraphrasing the outlet’s reaction. He then alleged that ESPN had leaked news of his firing to OutKick.
Clark first accused ESPN of working with OutKick to embarrass him days after he was dismissed. But that account doesn’t match how the news was obtained, according to the outlet’s account of events.
OutKick says it learned from several sources that Clark was among ESPN employees facing layoffs as part of budget cuts. The outlet says it told the network it planned to report the news because Clark was the most prominent name involved. It also reported Cam Newton’s departure the following day.
During an email exchange with ESPN’s public-relations team about the planned report, an executive told Clark during a commercial break on “NFL Live” that he was being laid off. He did not appear in the next segment.
The outlet says ESPN chose to inform Clark during the broadcast because it feared the news would otherwise reach him online first. It also says the network did not leak the information to OutKick; two reporters there had four independent sources, and ESPN tried to stop the story from being published. The outlet points to ESPN’s later disclosure of Clark’s firing to The Athletic as evidence that the network was trying to get ahead of its report.
Clark, however, has continued to suggest that he was fired because of his race and that ESPN arranged for OutKick to report it. The article argues that this version may help win sympathy, but disputes it. It also notes that Clark once said he “couldn’t be too black” while working at ESPN.
The dispute over Cunningham’s profile is another part of Clark’s argument. Her comments drew attention and protests outside WNBA games after she said she supported keeping transgender athletes out of girls’ sports. Cunningham told ESPN she had faced criticism for supposedly hating transgender people, but said she wanted to show love while also speaking honestly and protecting girls in sports and locker rooms.
Clark claimed ESPN featured Cunningham to demonstrate a “brand switch” to OutKick. The article rejects that suggestion, noting that the interview was conducted in February and held for publication until July, when the WNBA season was underway.
The article’s broader view is that Clark should stop blaming others for his departure. It says he has pointed fingers at former ESPN executives, OutKick, Clay Travis, Dan Zaksheske and others, as well as what he described as a change in the network’s culture.
Instead, the piece argues that Clark’s conduct and performance were the reasons he was fired. It cites his comments about Louisiana police and the death of former LSU receiver Kyren Lacy, his criticism of Robert Griffin III’s marriage to a white woman, and his on-air conflict with Peter Schrager, followed by an account that he used profanity toward Schrager off air.
The article describes Clark as difficult for producers and executives to work with. It also argues that, unlike prominent figures such as Pat McAfee, Stephen A. Smith and Charles Barkley, Clark did not bring in enough viewers or revenue to justify the controversy around him.
Its conclusion is blunt: Clark’s claims about racism and coordinated leaks are a way of avoiding responsibility. In the writer’s view, he was fired because ESPN decided the problems he created outweighed what he brought to the network.
