National Football League

ESPN's Chris Mortensen taking break to treat throat cancer

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:23 p.m. ET

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BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) ESPN's Chris Mortensen has throat cancer and will be off the air for treatment.

The senior NFL analyst said in a statement Friday that was he diagnosed with advanced throat cancer last week. He said more tests were planned to determine a treatment plan, which would begin in ''the very immediate future.''

The 64-year-old Mortensen said he was temporarily stepping away from his NLF coverage duties ''to fight the good fight that is projected to affect almost 1 .7 million Americans with new cases in 2016.''

Mortensen has been with ESPN since 1991.

ESPN President John Skipper said in a statement that Mortensen has ''the complete support of his entire ESPN family'' and that the network looks ''forward to his return whenever he chooses.''