The focal point of ESPN’s football coverage is the American journalist Chris Mortensen. In addition to SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown, ESPN Radio, and ESPN.com, he serves as the sports commentator for all of ESPN’s other programs.
When he received a Stage 4 throat cancer diagnosis in January 2016, the 69-year-old journalist faced the hardest challenge of his life, which resulted in a protracted hospital stay and a significant loss of weight. Chris Mortensen’s health has sadly been getting worse ever since.
Chris Mortensen: Is He Sick?
On January 15, 2016, Mortensen disclosed via the ESPN network that he had been given a stage 4 throat cancer diagnosis.
In a separate statement, he announced that he will temporarily stop covering sports for ESPN in order to fight cancer.
He continued by saying that he had the unwavering support and prayers of his wife Micki, his family, and his coworkers as he anticipated the therapy.
Accordingly, “I am temporarily stepping away from my normal NFL coverage duties with the support and encouragement from ESPN president John Skipper and many others at ESPN to better engage this opportunity to fight the good fight that is projected to affect almost 1.7 million Americans with new cases in 2016,” his statement read.
At the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Mortensen’s treatment began with intense chemotherapy after he temporarily left ESPN. By August 2016, cancer in his neck and at the base of his tongue was eradicated thanks to the treatment.
On August 31 of that same year, he announced the good news in a statement, saying he would probably return to ESPN to work on the NFL coverage.
As promised, Mortensen returned to ESPN in September 2016 and contributed to the network’s coverage of the NFL first-round draft.
The throat cancer of Chris Mortensen metastasized.
The journalist’s health quickly deteriorated after his return to ESPN.
His disease had spread to his left lung, his physicians noticed in November 2016 when it had returned.
In an interview with Peter King of Sports Illustrated in October 2017, the television personality disclosed that his battle with cancer might last the remainder of his life.
For the time being, Mortensen stated that there is no clear end to treatment. “Since the beginning, it has been comparatively upbeat. When I asked [the physicians] how long this would go, they said that it might go on forever. I’m still tidy where I started.”
Even though he is full of hope and looks forward to defeating cancer, he still needs to get frequent therapy to keep the condition under control. He struggles with his weight loss, health difficulties, and routine scans and exams to monitor his malignancy.
Bio of Chris Mortensen
Mortensen, who was born on November 7, 1951, attended El Camino College before serving as an army soldier for two years in the Vietnam War.
After leaving his position, he began writing through The Daily Breeze Newspaper in his hometown in 1969.
He worked for The National between 1983 and 1990 in addition to his stint at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
When Mortensen joined ESPN in 1991, he initially contributed reporting to the NFL GameDay and Outside The Lines television programs.
Later, in 1991 and 1992, he worked as an analyst for the network’s coverage of the NFL draft.
He is now a respected and experienced writer who has won awards for his work on the National Football League. Additionally, Mortensen has a $6 million net worth.
