Veteran ESPN journalist Chris Mortensen has died at the age of 72. Seven months earlier he announced to retire from the company to focus on his “health, family, and faith.” The sports broadcasting world paid a heartfelt tribute at his death.
The award-winning journalist Chris Mortensen worked as an NFL reporter and analyst for ESPN. ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro shared a statement. He said, “Mort was widely respected as an industry pioneer and universally beloved as a supportive, hard-working teammate,” He also said, “He covered the NFL with extraordinary skill and passion and was at the top of his field for decades. He will truly be missed by colleagues and fans, and our hearts and thoughts are with his loved ones.”
Chris was an Army veteran from California. He began his journalism career for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Here he worked as an investigative sports reporter. He mostly covered covering the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons. The famous journalist won the George Polk Award for reporting in 1987. Furthermore, he achieved 18 awards in journalism. Additionally, he was nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes.
In 1991 Chris joined ESPN. He hosted many popular shows like NFL GameDay, and. In addition, he worked as a reporter for some stunning shows such as Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown. The reporter also worked as a contributor to the SportsCenter show and as an analyst for the cable network’s NFL draft coverage.
Chris and his wife Micki Mortensen have a son Alex Mortensen who is performing as a football coach and former quarterback at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Previously Chris said in a statement, “Excited about another season but it’s time to reveal after my 33rd NFL draft in April, I decided to step away from ESPN and focus on my health, family, and faith,” He also wrote, “The gratitude and humility is overwhelming. It’s not a classic retirement. I’ll still be here talking ball. It’s just time. God Bless you all.”
He has been diagnosed with throat cancer which was at Stage IV. Due to this reason, he decided to step away from his regular NFL coverage duties.