ESPN this morning announced the death of longtime "SportsCenter" anchor Stuart Scott, who lost his battle with cancer at the age of 49. The net first reported Scott's passing at 9:47am ET, with Hannah Storm making the announcement during a live "SportsCenter" telecast. Storm fought back tears as she said, "Since 1993, those of us here at ESPN fortunate enough to work with Stuart saw how he lived. And in the past seven years as he fought cancer, we saw why he lived -- for his daughters, Taelor and Sydni." ESPN then aired a pre-taped, 15-minute tribute to Scott, which is linked here. The net's 10:00am "Postseason NFL Countdown" began five minutes late due to the tribute. "Countdown" then opened with the panelists paying their respects to Scott for 13 minutes (THE DAILY).
NFL Network's Rich Eisen interrupted pregame analysis on “NFL GameDay Morning” to pay an emotional tribute to his former ESPN colleague. Eisen: "One of the most joyful, full-of-life individuals I have ever come across. Lived his life the way his parents wanted him to live it. The way he felt he should live it. He broadcast the same way" (NFL Network, 1/4). CBS' James Brown spoke of Scott's passing during the net's NFL pregame, saying, "As extraordinary a talent as he was on air, that which impressed me the most was how valiantly he fought his battle against cancer" (“The NFL Today,” CBS, 1/4). A moment of silence to honor Scott was held at Lucas Oil Stadium prior to today's Bengals-Colts AFC Wild Card game, and the same will occur at AT&T Stadium prior to the NFC Wild Card matchup between the Lions and Cowboys (THE DAILY).
Scott's death also stirred emotions in the Oval Office, as President Obama released a statement this afternoon that read in part, "Twenty years ago, Stu helped usher in a new way to talk about our favorite teams and the day’s best plays. ... Over the years, he entertained us, and in the end, he inspired us -- with courage and love. Michelle and I offer our thoughts and prayers to his family, friends, and colleagues" (The White House). Scott was given the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the '14 ESPYs, and gave a memorable and moving acceptance speech. Watch the speech below:
Many in sports and media took to Twitter today to pay their respects, with the Charlotte Observer's Jonathan Jones writing, "Stuart Scott made nearly every kid in my generation stop saying they wanted to be a lawyer or doctor and changed that to SportsCenter anchor." ESPN L.A.'s Arash Markazi: "Stuart Scott was such a pro. Talked to him about going through cancer when I came to ESPN. Realized then I'd joined a family, not a company." NBC Sports Group VP/Original Programming Ron Wechsler wrote, "Stu was always a pro's pro, good to his crew, a good family man, and was adored by all. And what a fighter. What a damn fighter." SI's Richard Deitsch tweeted, "That was really a beautiful tribute by SportsCenter for Stuart Scott. A lot of love and care by his colleagues there. Much respect." USAToday.com's Mike Foss: "Hannah Storm was given an impossible task this morning. Her one-minute eulogy for Stuart Scott was flawless." NFL.com's Ian Rapoport: "Difficult to watch @richeisen, tearing up, discuss the tragic passing of Stuart Scott. So unbelievably sad."
