Chris Mortensen, Longtime NFL Reporter at ESPN, Dead at 72: 'Sad Day for Everyone'

The network confirmed Mortensen's death on Sunday, following his decades covering professional sports

Award-winning journalist Chris Mortensen, who spent over three decades at ESPN, has died at the age of 72.

The network announced the news of Mortensen's death on Sunday, referring to him as an "industry pioneer" and a "hard-working teammate."

"He covered the NFL with extraordinary skill and passion, and was at the top of his field for decades," network chairman Jimmy Pitaro wrote in a statement. "He will truly be missed by colleagues and fans, and our hearts and thoughts are with his loved ones."

A cause of death has not been revealed. Mortensen, who ESPN noted was diagnosed with Stage 4 throat cancer in January 2016, announced that he was stepping away from the network in 2023 to focus on his "health, family and faith."

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Throughout Mortensen's extensive career covering the NFL, the California native worked at both the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The National before joining the network in 1991, per ESPN. He was also a published author, releasing Playing for Keeps: How One Man Stopped the Mob from Sinking its Hooks into Pro Football in 1991.

At the network, he regularly contributed and worked on popular shows such as SportsCenter and Outside the Lines, and he's since been described as a "brilliant voice for the game" by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Mortensen won multiple writing awards throughout his career, including the George Polk Award in 1987 for reporting, the National Headliner Award for investigative reporting in all categories in 1978, and earned two Pulitzer Prize nominations alongside his 18 total awards, per ESPN. He won the Pro Football Writers of America's Dick McCann Award in 2016.

Several team owners, peers and players have shared tributes to Mortensen on social media. In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) by a publicist for the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell called Mortensen's death "a sad day for everyone in the NFL."

"I admired how hard Chris worked to become one of the most influential and revered reporters in sports," Goodell wrote. "He earned our respect and that of many others with his relentless pursuit of news but also with the kindness he extended to everyone he met. He will be greatly missed by many of us in the league who were fortunate to know him well beyond the stories he broke each Sunday."

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Other big names, such as Peyton Manning, shared personal anecdotes about the award-winning journalist on social media, where Manning called him a "true legend."

"Mort was the best in the business and I cherished our friendship," Manning wrote on Instagram. "I trusted him with my announcement to sign with the Broncos and with the news of my retirement. I will miss him dearly and my thoughts and prayers are with Micki & his family. Rest in peace, Mort."

ESPN reports that Mortensen is survived by his wife, Micki, and son, Alex.

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