Turner Sports’ Craig Sager underwent a third bone marrow transplant on Wednesday. In other news, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen has made progress in his cancer battle, and ESPN has hired Jeff Darlington from NFL Network.
Sager Undergoes Bone Marrow Transplant
- Turner Sports sideline reporter Craig Sager underwent a bone marrow transplant on Wednesday, his third in as many years, after receiving an anonymous donation from a 20-year-old deemed a “perfect match” (AP, 8/31). Sager, who has battled leukemia since April 2014, is part of a rare group — one of less than 1% of patients at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to undergo the procedure a third time. (AP)
Mortensen Moving From Treatment to Recovery
- ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen, who has been battling Stage IV throat cancer, says the disease has been virtually reduced to “zero detection” on his latest scans, allowing him to begin focusing more on recovery than treatment. Mortensen does not have a set date to return to ESPN, but hopes to do so on a limited basis as the NFL season begins. Like his colleague Craig Sager, Mortensen has also been receiving treatment at M.D. Anderson. (ESPN Media Zone)
ESPN Hires Darlington
- ESPN has hired NFL Network reporter Jeff Darlington to cover the league on SportsCenter and other ESPN platforms. Darlington is no stranger to ESPN, having appeared on several of the network’s shows while a reporter at the Miami Herald. He will begin on Thursday. (ESPN Media Zone)
