Karl Ravech, Tom Pelissero among those laid off by ESPN in latest round of cuts: Sources

Karl Ravech, one of the lead voices on ESPN for more than three decades, is expected to be let go as part of a new round of layoffs, sources briefed on the move told The Athletic.

On Monday, ESPN laid off NFL analyst Ryan Clark as part of the layoffs that will affect behind-the-scenes personnel. Most of the dismissals are expected at NFL Network, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.

Tom Pelissero, one of NFL Network’s top insiders, is expected to be let go, according to sources briefed on the moves.

ESPN declined comment. Reached by phone on Tuesday morning, Ravech had yet to be told, as ESPN is planning to inform employees later in the morning.

Ravech, 61, has been the lead play-by-play voice on ESPN’s Major League Baseball coverage, hosted “Baseball Tonight,” called college hoops and was a longtime “SportsCenter” anchor. Ravech, who joined the network in 1993, called Monday’s Phillies-Dodgers game in Philadelphia.

While Ravech is the biggest-name personality expected to be let go, the most severe layoffs are expected behind the scenes at NFL Network. ESPN officially purchased the network in late January in a series of agreements with the NFL that gave the league a 10 percent stake in ESPN. 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.

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 the most idyllic place to work, as it had been immune to much of the rest of the media industry that crumbled with layoffs.

The network has retained quite a 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 has become regularly shaky in Bristol.

Three years ago, ESPN laid off a slew of big-name on-air personalities, including Jeff Van Gundy, Keyshawn Johnson and Jalen Rose.

ESPN had planned to let Clark go on Tuesday but moved up its plan after receiving media inquiries on Monday. Clark was taken off of “NFL Live” 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.

On Tuesday morning, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro was expected to explain in a memo why ESPN was making the moves, with a focus on the NFL Network portion of the moves as the two networks consolidate.

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