ESPN Cuts Claim Former Ravens All-Pro Bart Scott

ESPN announced a sweeping round of staff reductions that eliminated several high-profile former NFL athletes who had transitioned to broadcasting. Among those let go was Bart Scott, a former Baltimore Ravens linebacker (2002-2008) and 2006 All-Pro and Pro Bowl honoree. Scott, hired by ESPN in 2019, had appeared on studio shows and co-hosted a radio program with Chris Carlin in New York. The cuts also affected former NFL MVP quarterback Cam Newton, Super Bowl-winning safety Ryan Clark, and longtime analyst Charles Davis, reflecting a broader purge of former players from ESPN and the NFL Network.

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The layoffs follow ESPN’s $3 billion acquisition of the NFL Network. The timing coincides with ESPN’s upcoming exclusive broadcast of the Super Bowl, marking the network’s first sole-network coverage of the championship game.

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No individual comment from the affected analysts was provided in the announcement, and ESPN has not issued further public remarks about the specific personnel decisions.

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• “He’s gonna get the rib shot,” — Bart Scott, coach

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• “Bart Scott went way too far with this,” — Coach Ant Scott

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• “Clark was on ESPN’s ‘NFL Live’ on Monday,” — The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand

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• “A TOUGH day to be an NFL analyst for ESPN,” — Hail Mary Pass

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