ESPN is undergoing a significant round of layoffs for the first time in three years, with the majority of job cuts tied to the network’s acquisition of NFL Network, according to an internal memo from chairman Jimmy Pitaro shared with employees Tuesday morning. The layoffs represent a major organizational restructuring as ESPN continues integrating the NFL’s media assets into its operations nearly six months after finalizing the deal.
Pitaro indicated in the memo that most of the position eliminations stem from the NFL Network acquisition. “Over the past several months, we’ve made significant progress integrating the NFL assets that we acquired into ESPN,” Pitaro wrote. “Throughout this process, we have taken the time to carefully evaluate our collective teams, resources and organizational structure to best position us for the future. As a result, we had to make some difficult decisions about job impacts that we will be communicating today.”
While the majority of cuts are tied to the acquisition, Pitaro noted that employees in other parts of the company would also be notified of layoffs Tuesday. ESPN declined to comment on the overall scope of the job reductions.
The layoffs reflect challenges inherent in any major corporate merger. When ESPN finalized its acquisition of NFL Network, NFL Fantasy, and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel to cable and satellite operators, the deal created operational redundancies that required difficult decisions about staffing levels. The transaction was announced last August and officially closed in January after receiving approval from government regulators, with the NFL receiving a 10% equity stake in ESPN as part of the arrangement.
NFL Network employees officially became part of ESPN on April 1, meaning the network had several months to evaluate personnel and organizational structure before implementing the cuts. Several high-profile on-air personalities have been impacted by the reductions, including longtime baseball voice Karl Ravech, who had been with ESPN since 1993 and served as the network’s lead voice for “Sunday Night Baseball” from 2022 to 2025. NFL analyst Ryan Clark, who built his ESPN career over the past decade hosting programs including “NFL Live,” “First Take,” and “Get Up,” was also let go. Tom Pelissero, who had been with NFL Network since 2017, is among those affected as well.
Other departing employees include veteran SportsCenter anchor David Lloyd, who had been with ESPN for nearly 30 years, and sports injury analyst Stephania Bell. Charles Davis, a longtime NFL Network analyst known for calling games on Fox and CBS, is also being let go. The cuts extend to behind-the-scenes production staff across both ESPN and NFL Network operations.
The reductions come nearly six months after Disney finalized its acquisition of the NFL’s media assets in exchange for a 10% ownership stake in ESPN, which has been valued at approximately $30 billion. The deal represents a historic merger between ESPN and the sports industry, significantly expanding ESPN’s NFL programming while providing the league with an equity position in the nation’s leading sports media company.
Under the terms of the agreement, ESPN gained control of 28 total NFL games per season, including seven games previously broadcast on NFL Network. The network also obtained full control over distribution of NFL RedZone to cable and satellite operators and merged NFL Fantasy with its own fantasy football platform, making ESPN Fantasy Football the official fantasy game of the NFL.
The layoffs are part of broader workforce reductions across parent company Disney this week, with hundreds of cuts happening throughout the entertainment conglomerate. However, ESPN’s situation is distinct in that the cuts are being driven by the specific integration challenges of absorbing an entire independent media operation.
Notably, while some high-profile personalities are being let go, ESPN recently extended deals with top NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter, suggesting the network is making strategic choices about which talent to retain as it consolidates operations. This selectivity underscores the reality that the layoffs reflect more than simple cost-cutting—they represent decisions about which talent and staffing structures align with ESPN’s vision for its integrated NFL operations going forward.
Pitaro emphasized the company’s commitment to treating affected employees with “compassion and respect” and providing “support as they navigate this transition.” The memo concluded by noting that “even in moments like these, the strength of ESPN comes from our people, our teamwork and our shared mission to serve sports fans.”
This marks the second round of layoffs at ESPN in recent months. An earlier round of roughly 30 behind-the-scenes staffers were cut in the spring as part of companywide reductions at Disney. The Tuesday cuts represent a much larger organizational shift, reflecting the ongoing challenge of merging two major media operations with overlapping functions and talent rosters while managing the financial pressures facing traditional sports media companies.