Chris Mortensen, an award-winning sportswriter who in 1991 moved to ESPN, the place he pioneered the function of the N.F.L. insider — reporting for varied applications on trades, free agent signings, accidents, retirements and scandals, died on Sunday. He was 72.
His dying was introduced by ESPN, which didn’t give a trigger or say the place he died. In 2016, he underwent therapy for stage 4 throat most cancers.
Till he stepped away from the community final 12 months, Mort, as he was identified, allotted information on applications like “SportsCenter,” “Sunday N.F.L. Countdown” and “Monday N.F.L. Countdown,” in addition to on radio and X, previously referred to as Twitter.
He was not sports activities journalism’s first N.F.L. insider. Will McDonough most likely had that distinction, writing for The Boston Globe and showing on CBS’s and NBC’s N.F.L. pregame reveals. Mr. Mortensen was adopted by a raft of rivals: Peter King, at Sports activities Illustrated after which NBC; Jay Glazer, at Fox Sports activities; Mike Florio, at Professional Soccer Discuss; and Adam Schefter, on the NFL Community, who turned Mr. Mortensen’s accomplice at ESPN in reporting league information.
In 1988, as a sportswriter for The Atlanta Journal-Structure, Mr. Mortensen received a George Polk Award, one in every of journalism’s high prizes, for investigative work, turning into the primary sportswriter to take action since Crimson Smith obtain that honor in 1951.
In 2016, he obtained the Dick McCann (now Invoice Nunn) Award from the Skilled Soccer Writers of America for distinguished protection of the sport. He obtained the award on the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame enshrinement ceremony.
A full obituary will seem quickly.
