The first NFL analyst for ESPN, Chris Mortensen, has announced his retirement. In reality, the event took place in April quietly and covertly, with Mortensen remaining unnoticed (as was his habit).
“Excited about another season but it’s time to reveal after my 33rd NFL draft in April, I made a decision to step away from ESPN and focus on my health, family and faith,” Mortensen tweeted. “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.”
Since early 2016, Mortensen has fought esophageal cancer.
A lot of us considered Mort’s “Inside the Huddle” segments on SportsCenter to be essential viewing. Before the advent of the Internet, this was the only method to acquire a concise and compelling summary of the most important NFL news.
It’s difficult to imagine the football season without Mort on ESPN. He contributed to clearing the way for others to follow and gain footing.
“Excited about another season but it’s time to reveal after my 33rd NFL draft in April, I made a decision to step away from ESPN and focus on my health, family and faith,” he shared on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Mortensen made known to all of his followers that he had secretly left the sports network earlier this year, before the start of the NFL season.
