FOOTBALL LEGEND

Veteran NFL Insider for ESPN Chris Mortensen Dies at 72

The reporter won renown and set standards covering football for ESPN for years.

Chris Mortensen, a decorated journalist who reported on the NFL for decades, died on Sunday at the age of 72, his family shared. Mortensen brought his newspaper experience from a career at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution to the desk at ESPN in 1991, where he joined the channel’s “SportsCenter” program. “Mort helped set the journalism standard in the early days of ESPN. His credibility, attention to detail and reporting skills catapulted our news and information to a new level,” Norby Williamson, the executive editor and head of studio production at ESPN, said of the late commentator. “More importantly, he was a great teammate and human being. He personified care and respect for people which became the culture of ESPN.” Mortensen held a number of awards for his reporting and was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, but reduced his duties in 2016 when he was diagnosed with stage IV throat cancer. “He will truly be missed by colleagues and fans, and our hearts and thoughts are with his loved ones,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said.