A Post-Mortem: NFL Journalist and Icon Chris Mortensen dies at 72
When the Ravens came to Baltimore, Chris Mortensen ultimately said that Baltimore’s return would be great for football and denounced anyone who thought otherwise.
Chris Mortensen, the lively sage of the National Football League world passed away on Sunday at the age of 72 after dealing with throat cancer through the latter years of his life. Mortensen was known for his straight forward style of insight and was very well regarded as a sage of the NFL world and his easygoing humor with journalists and players alike.
In 1996, the Browns came to Baltimore and Chris Mortensen himself said he knew this was going to happen because Cleveland pretty much lied to Art Modell saying, “I think this case is Cleveland’s fault because lying to your owner saying your finances aren’t in danger is just a kick in the mouth to force a move to a new city.”
While many journalists and sports anchors derided the new Baltimore Ravens, Chris Mortensen predicted that they’d be a force to be reckoned with quicker than people think and wished them nothing but success. He was incensed by Bob Trumpy’s vile and vulgar comments about Baltimore and saying that he hated the “concept of the Baltimore Ravens” and how he wished nothing but failure for them. Mortensen however defended the Ravens as a positive step to help the National Football League in the long term and he questioned Trumpy: “What have your Bengals done lately?” His prediction came true when Baltimore’s move helped fuel the proliferation of 12 new stadiums across the league because many ownerships threatened to move elsewhere if they didn’t get a new stadium. He also predicted correctly that Baltimore would help fuel at least a $1 billion financial profit for the NFL within the next 5 to 7 years… It happened in 4… the year the Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV.
Mortensen was very clever with his delivery and Jerry Glanville said, “Mortensen always finds a way to turn that negative into a positive.”
I, myself, am a big fan of Chris Mortensen’s work and how he pretty much “stopped the mob” from controlled the NFL because he knew gamblers and mobs were trying to get their cruddy hands on players. His 1991 book: Playing for Keeps: A True Story About Football, Playoffs and the Mob tells a story about the ugliness of the game itself.
The mob tried to enrich themselves to the tune of many millions of dollars off of players but apparently somebody made a big stop on it.
Mortensen was upset that the game was breached by legalized sports betting in 2018 but softened his stance knowing that there was going to be pretty significant regulations.
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We here at Maryland Sports Blog send our well-wishes, condolences, and prayers to Mortensen’s wife, Micki, and their son Alex. If you find Chris Mortensen’s book, make sure you read it, I don’t care if it is 33 years old, it is very good reading.
