John Clayton, beloved NFL insider at ESPN, dies at 67
John Clayton, the ESPN NFL insider who became a fan favorite in an eccentric commercial, died Friday. He was 67.
“John Clayton passed away today at a Seattle area hospital,” ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweeted. “His wife Pat and sister Amy were at his side and communicated earlier he passed peacefully after a brief illness. We loved John. We are mourning his loss.”
Multiple ESPN personalities spoke Friday night about his death.
“John Clayton, a first-class NFL insider and our beloved longtime ESPN colleague, died today,” veteran investigative reporter Don Van Natta Jr. wrote. “He also starred in the greatest This Is SportsCenter commercial of all time. RIP John.”
Known as “The Professor,” Clayton was a longtime NFL reporter for ESPN, delivering scoops from across the league to viewers nationwide.
The reserved Clayton, always seen in