ESPN Lays Off Ex-NFL Star Cam Newton in Latest Round of Big-Name Cuts: Report

Chris Leduc/Icon Sportswire via AP Images

ESPN laid off analyst and ex-NFL star Cam Newton on Tuesday as part of another round of cuts to high-profile, on-air personalities.

This week’s layoffs began with analyst Ryan Clark on Monday. The 46-year-old was actually informed of the company’s decision during a taping of NFL Live on Monday evening, and he did not return to the show after receiving word that he’d been fired. The next morning, The Athletic reported that longtime MLB announcer Karl Ravech — a 30-year ESPN veteran — had also been laid off.

According to OutKick’s Bobby Burack, Newton was among the cuts, as well. Burack’s Tuesday report added:

Sources say ESPN will look for a permanent replacement for Newton on the Monday editions of the show.

Newton and [Stephe A. Smith] engaged in a public back-and-forth last spring after Newton invited Jason Whitlock, whom Smith has said he “hates with a passion,” onto his podcast.

As Burack noted, Newton regularly appeared opposite Stephen A. Smith on First Take over the last two NFL seasons. When ESPN parted ways with Shannon Sharpe over sexual assault allegations, Newton stepped in to become Smith’s primary co-host on Monday mornings.

Outside of ESPN, Newton hosts the podcast Funky Friday. At the time of writing, his YouTube channel boasted nearly two million subscribers.

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