John Clayton confirmed Wednesday via Twitter that he was let go by ESPN after 23 years with the network, and the longtime NFL reporter took the news of his layoff like a champ.
Clayton expressed gratitude for his time at ESPN, which he described as the second-best relationship of his life behind his marriage. But Clayton’s real mic drop was a tweet poking fun at the old “This Is ‘SportsCenter’ ” commercial (see below) in which he rocks a ponytail and a Slayer T-shirt.
The rest of Clayton’s heartfelt ESPN sign-off is below, although this probably — and hopefully — isn’t the last we hear of him covering the NFL.
ESPN has laid off many employees in recent weeks, including several prominent on-air personalities.
