Who is late NFL reporter John Clayton's wife Pat?

NFL reporter John Clayton, familiar to football fans for his more than 20 years at ESPN, has passed away aged 67.

Clayton’s long-time ESPN colleague Chris Mortensen tweeted the famed reporter had died following a short illness and his wife Pat and sister Amy had been at his side.

As fans send condolences to Pat and John Clayton’s wider family on social media, some want to know more about his wife.

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Meet John Clayton’s wife Pat

While her husband is familiar to football fans for his NFL reporting career, Pat has tended to keep away from the spotlight.

However, like John she does have a past in journalism and, The Olympian reports, she used to write a bowling column for The News Tribune in Tacoma in Washington state.

Pat has battled multiple sclerosis for a number of years and is known to raise money for the MS Society.

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John Clayton and Pat’s marriage

John and Pat first crossed paths during shared time at The News Tribune. While Pat had a bowling column, John was a football writer.

Talking about their relationship in a 2013 profile on Clayton by the Spokesman, director of communications at the Seattle Seahawks Gary Wright described it as a marriage “made in heaven – or at least at the TNT”.

Wright also referred to Pat as the “perfect complement” to John as he revealed how “dedicated” they were to each other. In 2017, Clayton shared his appreciation for Pat as he addressed his departure from ESPN in a tweet:

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NFL fans send condolences to Pat

News of John Clayton’s passing was confirmed by the Seattle Seahawks on Friday (18 March). In a post on Twitter, along with a statement from his family, the team wrote: “Heartbroken. Rest in peace, The Professor.”

During his decades-long NFL reporting career, Clayton became known for his nickname ‘The Professor’ because of his extensive knowledge of the game.

Tributes have taken over social media as fans send their condolences to John Clayton’s wife Pat:

We send our thoughts and prayers to Pat and John Clayton’s wider family and friends at this difficult time.

Amber Peake

Amber is a freelance writer on The Focus who mainly covers anything celeb, music, and entertainment related. Having graduated with a BA (Hons) in Journalism from Brunel University in 2020, she has spent the last two years reporting the latest celeb news and pop culture trends across leading and national publishers. Starting her career at Express.co.uk as a showbiz reporter, Amber began contributing on The Focus in 2021. As well as her work on the site, she has also written across other GRV Media publications, including both Reality Titbit and HITC. When she's not scrolling endlessly on TikTok, you'll find Amber wrapped up in yet another DIY crafting project.