John Clayton the latest casualty of layoffs at ESPN
John Clayton says he's keeping the ponytail.
In a round of layoffs at ESPN that included many well-known personalities, John Clayton may be among the biggest.
The longtime NFL insider, who has been a fixture of ESPN's NFL coverage for 23 years, announced that he will no longer be contributing to the network.
Known as "The Professor" to those in and out of ESPN, Clayton will continue his daily radio show for 710 ESPN KIRO in Seattle, which like 97.5 The Fanatic only licenses the ESPN name.
Prior to joining ESPN, Clayton was a beat reporter covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for the now-defunct Pittsburgh Press, and later covered the Seattle Seahawks for the News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash. He was inducted into the writer's wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
Clayton is probably best known for his iconic "This is Sportscenter" commercial, which features him letting loose to heavy metal music following an on-air segment.
Back in April, ESPN laid off nearly 100 reporters and on-air personalities in response to budget pressure caused by the combination of cord-cutting viewers and the rising cost of league contracts. Among those to lose their jobs were NFL reporters Ed Werder and Adam Caplan, baseball analyst Jayson Stark, and NBA reporter Marc Stein.