Karl Ravech, one of ESPN’s most prominent on-air voices for more than three decades, and NFL insider Tom Pelissero were laid off as part of the network’s latest round of cuts Tuesday, according to
The layoffs are the first since ESPN finalized its acquisition of NFL Network in January, and most of the dismissals were expected to take place at NFL Network with a large contingent behind the scenes, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter. ESPN purchased NFL Network as part of a series of agreements that gave the league a 10 percent stake in the network. ESPN has spent the past six months sorting out how to make all the pieces from its bases in Bristol and New York coordinate with NFL Network’s Los Angeles operation.
In an internal memo Tuesday, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said the network has “made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN.”
“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,” Pitaro said
On Monday, ESPN laid off NFL analyst Ryan Clark as part of the cuts. ESPN declined further comment
ESPN is also expected to sever ties with former NFL MVP Cam Newton, longtime SportsCenter stalwart David Lloyd, injury expert Stephania Bell, former All-Pro linebacker and talk show host Bart Scott, and NFL Network analyst Charles Davis. News of the Bell, Lloyd and Scott layoffs were first reported by Front Office Sports; Outkick initially mentioned the Newton decision
Ravech, 61, has been the lead play-by-play voice on ESPN’s Major League Baseball coverage, hosted “Baseball Tonight,” called college basketball and was a longtime “SportsCenter” anchor. Ravech, who joined the network in 1993, called Monday’s Phillies-Dodgers game in Philadelphia
Tom Pelissero had been a staple on NFL Network programming and developed into one of its top insiders. (Todd Rosenberg / Getty Images)
On the NFL Network side, Pelissero has been a staple on the platform. With the combination of ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFLN’s Ian Rapoport, ESPN moved on from the plugged-in and well-compensated Pelissero
ESPN’s parent company, Disney, is also expected to conduct a round of layoffs
ESPN has had several rounds of layoffs since 2015. Before that, the network that once billed itself as “The Worldwide Leader in Sports,” was considered a mostly idyllic place to work, seemingly immune from the layoffs that hit much of the media industry
The network has retained a strong portfolio of events, including next February’s Super Bowl, the NBA Finals and the College Football Playoff, and it is still arguably the top platform in sports. However, the ground beneath employees’ feet in Bristol has become shaky
Three years ago, ESPN laid off a slew of big-name on-air talent, including Jeff Van Gundy, Keyshawn Johnson and Jalen Rose
On Tuesday, Davis, Lloyd and Bell were all expected to suffer the same fate after long, distinguished careers at their networks. Davis, who has been a longtime draft analyst for NFL Network, remains at CBS, where he was elevated to the No. 1 college football analyst on Big Ten afternoon games. Davis had previously been on CBS’ No. 2 NFL crew until last season
Lloyd has been a consummate professional at ESPN since 1997. While he never had his own signature show, he was a fixture on “SportsCenter” throughout his tenure. Bell had been with ESPN for nearly 20 years, finding a niche as an injury expert, an innovative segment she embraced before the role became mainstream
Newton had a brief run on ESPN, but the network had signed him to a new multiyear deal last August to continue appearing with Stephen A. Smith on “First Take.” Scott has had a tumultuous post-playing media career, as he was on CBS’ “NFL Today” studio show, originally tabbed as part of a trio to replace Mike Francesa on New York’s all-sports radio afternoons on WFAN and then landed at ESPN. He teamed with Chris Carlin on ESPN New York’s morning show and appeared on ESPN’s TV programs, like “Get Up” and “First Take.”
As for Clark, ESPN planned to let Clark go on Tuesday, but audibled after receiving media inquiries on Monday. Clark was taken off “NFL Live” on Monday and told of his dismissal as ESPN felt it was better for him to hear it directly from an executive rather than reading it online
