Ryan Clark alleges ESPN used Cunningham interview as cover

Ryan Clark has accused ESPN of timing an interview with WNBA player Sophie Cunningham to divert attention from his departure from the network, and alleged ESPN leaked news of his firing to OutKick. The claims, which Clark made on the All the Smoke podcast, concern events in July; the reported timing does not establish that ESPN intended to distract from his exit or coordinated a leak.

Cunningham’s interview was published July 21, the day after ESPN told Clark during an NFL Live broadcast that it was letting him go. Clark said the interview and OutKick’s coverage made it appear that Cunningham had displaced news of his departure. He alleged that ESPN wanted the profile to signal a change in its brand and said the network had leaked his firing to OutKick.

Clark’s departure was part of an ESPN round of layoffs, according to accounts of the decision. A report about the episode said ESPN informed him during a commercial break, after learning that OutKick planned to report he was among employees expected to be laid off. OutKick’s writer said the news came from four independent sources and that ESPN tried to prevent publication. Those details come from the writer’s account; the...