Former NFL Star Ryan Clark Lands Investment From Ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Months After ESPN Exit

Ryan Clark

Former NFL Star Ryan Clark Lands Investment From Ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Months After ESPN Exit

Ryan Clark is continuing to expand his media business following his departure from ESPN.

According to Front Office Sports, the former NFL player and sports analyst’s media company has secured an investment from former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. The reported deal comes just two months after Clark was let go from ESPN in July following more than a decade with the network.

Since leaving ESPN, Clark has been building out The Pivot, the media platform and podcast he hosts alongside former NFL players Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor. The show recently secured a multi-year partnership with Netflix that brings new video episodes to the streaming service while allowing the program to continue on YouTube.

Clark has also launched “The Pivot Sports with Ryan Clark,” a weekly football show produced in collaboration with NFL Films. The program debuted this month on The Pivot’s YouTube channel, which has nearly 1.5 million subscribers.

The amount of Schultz’s investment and the financial terms of the reported deal have not been publicly disclosed. The investment marks another major development for Clark as he continues growing his independently built media operation outside of ESPN.