No one in the sports world was prepared for the death of ESPN OG John Saunders on Wednesday Morning. Saunders was one of the good, reliable, respectable ones, evident in Hannah Storm’s emotional tribute to him earlier today.
While it is unclear the cause of the 61-year-old’s death, Steven A. Smith revealed that Saunders’ health problems “ebbed and flowed” throughout the years, compounded by a bad fall he was working to recuperate from.
Smith then praised the selfless work he’s done for young black journalists in the sports landscape and even went as far to say that the late Stuart Scott may not have secured a job at ESPN if it weren’t for Saunders.
While Stephen A. did play up the theatrics with the over-sniffle, I gotta begrudgingly agree with his take on this one: Saunders will be missed.
[h/t Uproxx]