The ESPN family has lost a beloved member.
Anchor Randy Scott shared that research manager Zach Jones died on Dec. 22 after a two-year battle with colorectal cancer “that had metastasized before his diagnosis.” Zach was 41.
“You may have never seen him on your screens,” Randy said during Dec. 23’s SportsCenter, holding back tears, “but you saw his work on our live golf coverage or our women’s college basketball coverage, or on any of our SportsCenter shows.”
Randy added that Zach started at ESPN in 2010, and importantly, “he got married here. He started a family here.”
“He loved his wife, Amber, and he loved his son, Silas,” the broadcaster continued, “who turned 10 last month and who lost his dad three days before Christmas.”
Randy recalled seeing Zach in the office cafeteria a few weeks before his death, saying that Zach “was hopeful, but he was also reflective.”
“He said he just wanted his family to be okay after a recent move to Texas,” Randy noted. “He fought like hell. He gets to rest now. We love you buddy.”