ESPN to reportedly lay off Tom Pelissero, Karl Ravech
One of the most recognizable ESPN anchors is reportedly being laid off, as is one of NFL Network’s biggest names. Karl Ravech, who has been with the network since 1993, is reportedly among those being dismissed by ESPN, according to The Athletic. On the NFL Network side, reporter Tom Pelissero is reportedly being let go, per Front Office Sports.
Ravech has held a number of roles at ESPN over the years. He's anchored "SportsCenter," made regular appearances on "Baseball Tonight," done commentary on both the "Little League World Series" and "College World Series" and provided golf coverage at the network.
Ravech, 61, was contacted by The Athletic on Tuesday morning, but said he had yet to be informed of the news. ESPN is expected to announce layoffs Tuesday, per The Athletic.
The network got ahead of one of those layoffs Monday, letting NFL analyst Ryan Clark go while he was in the middle of an appearance on the network. ESPN reportedly feared news of Clark's dismissal would leak Monday, and decided to inform him earlier than expected to get ahead of a possible leak.
ESPN is expected to conduct a number of layoffs, most of which are expected to hit NFL Network employees. ESPN reached a billion-dollar deal with the NFL earlier in 2026 which resulted in NFL Network programming and employees being moved to ESPN. While some NFL Network employees have already carved out roles at ESPN, others apparently could be pushed out due to layoffs.
Pelissero is apparently one of those names. The insider has been with NFL Network since 2017 and regularly breaks NFL news for the network. ESPN opted to keep NFL insider Ian Rapoport on a multi-year deal earlier in 2026, which may have paved the way for the team parting ways with Pelissero.
Given his role as a prominent NFL voice, Pelissero shouldn’t have a problem landing on his feet.
It's unclear what other personalities will be laid off at the network. Ravech and Pelissero will likely be the biggest names let go.
Ravech should find a new role quickly. In addition to his on-air prowess, Ravech also served as the voice of the "Major League Baseball 2K5" video game, so that's another possible avenue he can go down if he's looking to do more voice work.
