Longtime ESPN and NFL reporter John Clayton passed away on Friday after dealing with a brief illness.
He was 67.
Clayton covered the NFL for the better part of 40 years during his long and storied career in the industry. He was a staple on Sportscenter during the 1990’s and early-mid 2000’s. Clayton had previously covered the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks before landing at ESPN.
He was known for digging deep into stories and presenting his findings in an extremely detailed manner. There were few who were as knowledgeable as Clayton about football.
Clayton began his career working for a Pittsburgh newspaper. He would go on to become a beat writer for the team and that is when Clayton’s career began to really take off. He was one of the most-well respected people in sports journalism and was awarded the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Dick McCann Memorial Award in 2007.
Many people took to Twitter to express their feelings and mourn the loss of Clayton
“Like a lot of Seattle sports fans, I looked up to John; I’ll never forget when he emerged from Hall of Fame voting to tell me, excitedly, that Kenny Easley got in. He loved Seahawks football and we loved him for it. RIP to a kind, thoughtful man.”
NFL insider Adam Schefter shared the following:
“John Clayton will be remembered in so many ways, from how he looked after his wife Pat, to the mark he made in reporting, to the standard he set. He dedicated his life to his wife and to football. He was a pioneer, a caretaker, a Hall of Famer and a slayer, in every sense.”
The great John Clayton will be missed.
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