On March 18, 2022, John Clayton, lead writer and correspondent for ESPN, tragically passed away at the age of 67. He breathed his last with loved ones all around him.
Since his teenage years, the American sports journalist has had a passion for writing about games. His very first article was about the NFL. Early in his career, he worked for The News Tribune and The Pittsburgh Press.
Additionally, he received other accolades, including the Dick McCann Memorial Award, earning him a place in the Writers’ Wing of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Journalist John Clayton
ESPN John Clayton of This Is Sportscenter Slayer Commercial has died due to Covid
John Clayton, who was well known for the This is Sportscenter Slayer commercial, has died aged 67. Some of his admirers thought the Covid was to blame for his death. Additionally, it was noted that an illness was the cause of death.
About 20,000 cases of pandemic infection were reported at the time. He would have fought for his life. According to reports, he was admitted to a hospital in Seattle.
The Seattle Seahawks tweeted about his passing on Twitter, saying they were devastated to learn of his unexpected passing. Along with them, many other NFL players and broadcasters offered their condolences to his family.
Chris Mortensen also wrote about the sportswriter’s passing, letting readers know that he passed away surrounded by his family. When he passed away quietly, his sister Amy and his wife Pat were present.
Months after his passing, Fallen John was honored in the Seahawks Lumen Field press box.
John Clayton’s cause of death
John Clayton’s cause of death has been reported as an illness
Reddit was buzzing about the undetermined death of John Clayton, and many were looking for information about it. The cause of death has been determined to be an unidentified illness, although information regarding his death has previously surfaced online.
Since there were many active cases of the virus in Seattle, the majority of his admirers assumed it was Covid. However, as noted by The Focus, he suffered from multiple sclerosis, a disease that affects the brain and spinal cord of humans. The disease manifests in a variety of ways, including problems with vision, arm or leg sensation, mobility, balance, and vision.
Additionally, there were other health-related rumors as he had recently lost weight and suffered from hair loss. Some thought he had cancer, that’s what killed him.
Although he works in the media, he has never given his fans many details about his personal life or his health.
What really happened to John Clayton?
John was a well-known sportswriter who covered the NFL. He was not yet officially retired and continued to work for ESPN until he could. People at the company used to favor his reports and articles because he was a senior writer there.
However, his failing health and impending demise have shaken his admirers and loved ones. They had never expected such a bad thing to happen so quickly. In addition to his death, there was no indication of the reason for his death.
He began his career in radio and has been actively serving the industry since 1972. He has tirelessly served the community throughout his nearly 50-year career by delivering accurate and objective information.
John Clayton on the pitch waving to his fans
Biography of John Clayton
He was one of many employees who were laid off by the company in the spring. The sportswriter was previously employed by Sirius XM radio and planned to continue in both roles, but it appears he’s taken a new job as a sideline reporter for Seattle Seahawks games.
When Clayton was still a student at Churchill Area High School, he began writing about athletics. He began covering the Pittsburgh Steelers in reports for the Daily Press of St. Marys, Pennsylvania during their 1972 training camp. He later contributed to Steel City Sports, a Pittsburgh weekly. Clayton was an editor for Score! Pittsburgh, which replaced Steel City Sports in 1975, and he covered for the Steelers. In addition to covering games, he worked as a stringer for several radio stations, including AP Radio. He gave the station sound clips of locker room interviews after games involving Pittsburgh’s professional sports teams.
After graduating from Duquesne University, he worked for The Pittsburgh Press. He had worked for the newspaper next door during his university studies.
Instead of Glenn Sheeley, the Press’ regular Steelers Beaters writer, Clayton was sent to cover a Steelers mini-camp in May 1978. There he found and reported a rule violation that would have cost the team a draft pick. Clayton referred to the incident as “Shouldergate”. Due to his involvement in the scandal, the ESPN host has temporarily fallen out of favor in his hometown.
Before leaving the press in 1986, he eventually rose through the ranks to become the Steelers’ reporter. He moved across the country and began reporting on the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. He began making appearances in NFL segments at this point on host Nanci Donnellan’s “The Fabulous Sports Babe” show on Seattle sports radio station KJR (AM). He joined as an NFL correspondent after ESPN took over Donnellan’s show for national distribution.
John Clayton age
National Football League writer and former ESPN reporter John Travis Clayton. He also contributed as a senior staff writer to ESPN.com. Wikipedia. On November 11, 1954, he was born in Braddock, Pennsylvania.
John Clayton Family
In Braddock, Pennsylvania, on May 11, 1954, Clayton was born in the United States. Given that he was born in the United States, it is obvious that he is a citizen of the country. His birth sign is Taurus and he is of Caucasian descent. The subject of his parents and siblings was never brought up. Churchill Area High School was where he studied.
Wife of John Clayton
The 65-year-old man is married. He married his devoted wife, Patricia Clayton. Gerald Clayton, the couple’s son, was born. He has never been involved in any litigation involving his personal or professional life. Patricia Clayton was shocked to learn on Monday that she was no longer needed at the election headquarters in Renton, where she had worked for four years as a temporary employee. They said my co-workers had complained that I was bothering them by constantly asking for help, Clayton recalled.
John Clayton net worth
John Clayton’s journalism career contributed significantly to his net worth. John received $4 million each year in compensation for his work with the NFL. He then moved on to ESPN and earned another $2 million there. In 2019, his estimated net worth was $9 million.
ESPN reporter John Clayton
John ClaytonESPN
He started working for ESPN as a reporter in 1995 and eventually added a weekly radio show to his responsibilities during the NFL summer. In “Four Downs,” a debate with Sean Salisbury on contemporary NFL concerns, he co-hosted the show with the former NFL quarterback. Salisbury would call Clayton the “Cryptkeeper” and “Mr. Peabody”, mocking his appearance and nerdy, “egg-headed” voice, and Clayton would retort by nicknaming Salisbury “Mr. Backup” due to his limited playing time during his NFL career. Their arguments often became rather heated. The seriousness of the hostility between Clayton and Salisbury is disputed. On May 31, 2017, ESPN terminated his employment.
John Clayton Radio Programs
He continued to contribute regularly to KJR (AM) and presented the Saturday morning show “Sports Saturday”. He frequently calls sports radio stations around the country. He moved his show to the new ESPN channel following the transformation of KIRO (AM) Seattle into an all-sports station.
John Clayton Awards and Honors
The Pro Football Hall of Fame presented him with the Dick McCann Memorial Award in 2007. With this honor, he now belongs to the “writers branch” of the Hall of Fame. In 2001, he was also inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame at his alma mater Duquesne University.
