BRISTOL (AP) — Chris Mortensen, the award-winning journalist who covered the NFL for close to four decades, including 32 as a senior analyst at ESPN, died Sunday morning. He was 72.

ESPN confirmed Mortensen’s death on Sunday. There was no immediate word on the cause or place of death.

“Mort was widely respected as an industry pioneer and universally beloved as a supportive, hardworking teammate,” ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “He covered the NFL with extraordinary skill and passion, and was at the top of his field for decades. He will truly be missed by colleagues and fans, and our hearts and thoughts are with his loved ones.”

Mortensen announced in 2016 that he he had been diagnosed with throat cancer. Even while undergoing treatment, he was the first to confirm the retirement of Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning.

“We lost a true legend,” Manning said in a social media post. “Mort was the best in the business and I cherished our friendship. I trusted him with my announcement to sign with the Broncos and with the news of my retirement. I will miss him dearly and my thoughts and prayers are with Micki & his family. Rest in peace, Mort.”

Mortensen announced his retirement after the NFL draft last year so that he could “focus on my health, family and faith.”

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said during the end of coverage at the NFL Scouting Combine on Sunday that Mortensen texted him to ask how he thought Spencer Rattler would do during the quarterback workouts in Indianapolis.

“He’s just one of the sweetest souls you will have ever met, and he loved his sport,” Jeremiah said. “That’s why when we found out about this, the last thing I want to do is come out here. But, man, he would punch me in the face if we didn’t if we didn’t do this and have fun and enjoy this great game that he loved so much.”

Mortensen joined ESPN in 1991, and for years helped shape the network’s coverage as the NFL exploded into year-round coverage. Besides appearing on a myriad of network shows, he also wrote for ESPN.com.

“Chris will forever be part of the NFL family. Loved by so many, he was a brilliant voice for the game and as passionate and talented as there has ever been,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement. “My appreciation and respect came quickly for Chris as I visited with him often in Austin during my early years. We bonded greatly there.”

He received the Dick McCann Award from the Professional Football Writers of America in 2016. It was renamed to the Bill Nunn Jr. Award in 2021 and is presented yearly during the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies to the reporter who has made a long and distinguished contribution through their coverage of the game.

“I admired how hard Chris worked to become one of the most influential and revered reporters in sports. He earned our respect and that of many others with his relentless pursuit of news but also with the kindness he extended to everyone he met,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “He will be greatly missed by many of us in the league who were fortunate to know him well beyond the stories he broke each Sunday.”

Mortensen also worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 1983-89. He covered the Atlanta Falcons from 1985-86 and the league from 1985-89. He left for The National in 1989 and worked there for nearly two years.

He was an NFL columnist for The Sporting News and a contributing writer for Sport magazine. He was also a consultant for CBS’ “The NFL Today” in 1990.

“I considered Chris a personal hero of my mine and it is truly hard to imagine sports journalism without him. His ability to take on life’s obstacles with grit and determination was always truly inspiring and his enormous impact on so many, me included, will live on through this work and unwavering friendships,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement.

A native of Torrance, California, Mortensen attended El Camino College. He served two years in the Army before he began his journalism career at the South Bay (Calif.) Daily Breeze in 1969.

“An absolutely devastating day. Mort was one of the greatest reporters in sports history, and an even better man,” said ESPN NFL reporter Adam Schefter on social media. “Mort was the very best. He will be forever missed and remembered.”

He is survived by his wife, Micki, and son, Alex.

WASHINGTON (AP) — There’s nothing complicated about the latest tobacco product trending online: Zyn is a tiny pouch filled with nicotine and flavoring.

But it has stoked a debate among politicians, parents and pundits that reflects an increasingly complex landscape in which Big Tobacco companies aggressively push alternative products while experts wrestle with their potential benefits and risks.

Zyn comes in flavors like mint, coffee and citrus, and Philip Morris International markets it to adult tobacco users. But videos of young people popping the pouches have racked up millions of views on TikTok and other social media platforms.

That trend has advocates worried that Zyn could become the latest nicotine product to attract underage teens, similar to the way Juul triggered a yearslong spike in vaping. Other experts say that risk is outweighed by the potential to steer adults away from cigarettes and other traditional tobacco products, which account for 480,000 U.S. deaths annually.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result,” said Dr. Jasjit Ahluwalia, an addiction specialist at Brown University. “That is what we’ve done with tobacco for decades. We’ve been all about abstinence, instead of embracing products that can reduce harm.”

Ahluwalia sees nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes as a way to help smokers cut back or quit cigarettes.

That approach is standard practice in the U.K., but it’s outside the medical mainstream in the U.S., where only pharmaceutical-grade medications like nicotine gum and lozenges are formally approved to help smokers quit.

Ahluwalia points out that Zyn works the same way as those products: releasing low levels of nicotine that are absorbed into the gums, reducing cravings. The chief difference, he notes, is that Zyn is sold by Philip Morris, the global cigarette giant and a longtime foe of anti-smoking groups.

The controversy around Zyn recently spilled over into politics, pitting Democrats and Republicans in Washington against each other and spiraling into another skirmish in the nation’s culture war.

In late January, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer, of New York, called on regulators to investigate Zyn, citing its appeal to teens. Several House Republicans then warned constituents that “Big Brother” intended to “ban nicotine.”

Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, a Zyn user, jumped into the fray, declaring: “Zyn is not a sin,” and touting its unproven benefits, like “enhancing male vitality and mental acuity.”

Zyn users have quickly developed their own online vocabulary, including “zynnies,” “zynner” and “zynsky.”

“There’s this online subculture around Zyn that’s been spearheaded by younger males, but a lot of that’s not coming from the brand itself,” said Ollie Ganz, a Rutgers University tobacco and nicotine researcher.

Online videos show young people documenting their first experiences trying Zyn, reviewing different flavor combinations and displaying heaping piles of used canisters.

“It’s concerning to see the countless Zyn-related memes and hashtags that are being amplified and normalized across social media,” said Kathy Crosby, CEO of the Truth Initiative, an anti-tobacco advocacy group.

Truth and other groups point to research suggesting nicotine can interfere with brain development in adolescents.

It’s the Food and Drug Administration’s job to weigh Zyn’s risks to youngsters against its potential to help adults.

In a statement, an FDA spokesman said the agency is monitoring underage use, noting that 1.5% of high school and middle schoolers reported using pouches last year. That’s well below the 10% who used e-cigarettes.

FDA officials have allowed Zyn to stay on the market while they review Philip Morris’ marketing application, which has been pending since 2020. If teen use remains low, the company could win FDA authorization for at least some of its offerings, which come in multiple strengths and a dozen flavors.

In 2019, the FDA awarded its first-ever reduced risk designation to a similar product: snus, a tobacco pouch popular in Sweden that contains lower levels of carcinogens than cigarettes. The FDA said smokers who switch to snus reduce their risk of lung cancer, bronchitis and other diseases.

Zyn excludes the tobacco leaves found in snus, leaving only nicotine, which Philip Morris says increases its appeal.

“People can be reluctant to move into an oral tobacco product if they view it as similar to traditional chewing tobacco,” company spokesman Corey Henry said. “Consumer acceptability is a big part of Zyn.”

Philip Morris doesn’t use online influencers or endorsements to promote Zyn, Henry said. Its website is restricted to adults 21 and older. And flavors like cinnamon and peppermint are “familiar to adults,” Henry said.

Zyn launched in the U.S. in 2014, but sales have exploded in the past year, generating $1.8 billion as shipments accelerated year-over-year by over 60%.

On a November call with retailers, one company executive called the growth “gonzo” and “lights out.”

“I didn’t see this coming. I don’t know anyone who did,” said Joseph Teller, a director for oral tobacco products.

Zyn promotions emphasize the pouches’ discreet, convenient nature as a “smoke-free,” “spit-free” alternative for smokers “at work” or “on the move.”

But to fulfill the company’s stated goal of a “smoke-free future,” Zyn will need to help users fully switch from cigarettes, rather than alternating between the two.

There’s little data on switching, and preliminary research suggests pouches may not be a great substitute.

Ohio State University researchers recently found it took smokers 30 minutes to an hour to get enough nicotine from Zyn to relieve their cravings. With cigarettes, smokers achieved the same nicotine levels — and relief — in five minutes.

“The pouches we studied, especially the lower nicotine concentrations, did not appear to meet the needs of smokers,” said Brittney Keller-Hamilton, who led the study. “That being said, they didn’t totally flop either.”

For now, smokers who have had success with Zyn say they hope it stays available.

Justin Wafer, 39, was smoking a pack a day last spring while working as a bartender in Portland, Oregon. On busy days, he would also vape if he didn’t have time to step away for a smoke break.

But after his reloadable electronic cigarette broke in May, he decided to try Zyn. These days, he usually pops a pouch every three to four hours and says he hasn’t smoked in more than nine months.

“I don’t see how it’s any different from pharmaceutical solutions like lozenges or gum,” he says. “Except it’s easier to get and tastes better.”