ESPN staffer Zach Jones has tragically passed away at the age of 41. Jones was not a news anchor for the network, but worked behind the scenes as a research manager. He was with the sports network for 15 years.
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The news was announced by ESPN anchor Randy Scott, who was fighting back tears as he revealed the cause of Jones death.
“ESPN lost one of our own yesterday,” Scott said. “Research manager Zach Jones died Sunday after a two-year fight with colorectal cancer that had metastasized before his diagnosis.”
The ESPN anchor continued, “You may have never seen him on your screens, but you saw his work on our live golf coverage, on our women’s college basketball coverage, or on any of our SportsCenter shows. He came here in 2010 as a researcher and joined the management team of the stats and information group in 2018, but more important than that… he got married here. He started a family here.”
Zach Jones’ Colleagues Pay Their Respects
The anchor became emotional as he spoke about Jones and his family saying, “The Stanford graduate loved the Cardinals and he loved golf. He loved his wife Amber, he loved his son Silas, who turned 10 last month, and he lost his dad three days before Christmas.”
More of Jones’ colleagues shared their condolences and kind words about the late staff member. SportsCenter anchor Kevin Negandhi shared a post on X following the news.
“May you rest in peace Zach,” Negandhi wrote alongside a photo of Jones and his family.Â
“A devoted dad who loved golf, the Chargers and his family,” Negandhi wrote. “He was a fantastic researcher and had the perfect demeanor for TV. He will be missed by so many. Sending all of our love to his wife, son and their family. F**k cancer.”
Jones is survived by his wife, Amber, and 10-year-old son, Silas.