“To me, that story sums up (Chris) Mortensen’s ethos. Fighting for his life, but the news takes precedence even in some very dark hours.” – King on Mortensen breaking the news of Peyton Manning’s retirement while battling cancer
“The fan experience won’t ever be the same. So many of my favourite football memories involved me sitting in Ireland and being transported thousands of miles away to somewhere I’ll probably never be.” – FMIA reader Mark Hogan on King’s retirement
“And to all of you: My appreciation for reading, for watching, for listening, for making my life’s work so incredibly rewarding. Until we meet again, my everlasting thanks. Onward.” – King’s final thank you to his audience
STAMFORD, Conn. – March 4, 2024 – In his final Football Morning in America column, Peter King remembers longtime NFL journalist Chris Mortensen and shares letters from readers around the world following 27 years of writing his Monday morning column, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com.
King joined NBC Sports exclusively in 2018, writing his FMIA column, presenting The Peter King Podcast, making weekly appearances on PFT Live and contributing to Football Night in America.
For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel for free, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.
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The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:
CHRIS MORTENSEN
King on Chris Mortensen breaking the news of Peyton Manning’s retirement while battling cancer: “To me, that story sums up (Chris) Mortensen’s ethos. Fighting for his life, but the news takes precedence even in some very dark hours.”
King on Mortensen: “That’s why people told him things for decades. Players and coaches and commissioners could trust him.”
Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning on Mortensen stepping in to help at his camp: “This one year, a bunch of guys left, and we were going around to the different groups that Sunday, and there was Mort, coaching some of the campers. I don’t know what the parents of those campers thought, seeing Mort coaching their kids. But he saw a need, and he just stepped in to help.”
FMIA READER LETTERS
Mark Hogan (Kildare, Ireland): “The fan experience won’t ever be the same. So many of my favourite football memories involved me sitting in Ireland and being transported thousands of miles away to somewhere I’ll probably never be.”
Tanmay Patel (Surat, India): “Your reach is as far as Surat, a mid-sized city in India. I’ve only followed this game for three years. No one in my life knew anything about this game. You are the person who made me fall in love with this game and the beauty of the plays you discuss every year especially with coach Andy Reid. Very grateful to you. Will forever be an NFL fan because of you.”
Jorge Medina (Malaga, Spain): “A lot of times I have thought about writing a mail to thank you for your work or to discuss football things, but I always find myself thinking I can’t bring anything of interest to a man who has talked with Tom Brady, Joe Montana. I always thought it would be a correct time to write you, another day, another year. And here we are, no more FMIA.”
Davide Lavarra (Vicenza, Italy): “By reading your articles I was able to imagine what was going on in a locker room, in a media session, in a training camp, on a bus with John Madden. Those articles gave me an enormous amount of joy. My routine has been the same for decades on Monday evenings: wash my teeth, go to bed, and a full read of (Monday Morning Quarterback), later FMIA.”
Gabrielle Ducharme (Los Angeles, Calif.): “If I learned anything from that time, and all those years of reading your work, it’s, ‘The job of a journalist is to take readers where they cannot go, and teach them what they do not know,’ as you wrote in that 2021 article. When I write, I think back on how you’ve managed to make a predominantly male-dominated sport more approachable to so many, myself included.”
Justin Carlson (Hillsborough, N.C.): “Not going to lie, it’s made for more than a few uncomfortable conversations with bosses, clients, or even my spouse because, well, I NEED to spend 30 minutes with your column every Monday, client meetings be damned.”
Chuck Cooperstein (Dallas, Texas): “Can I quote John Phillips and Cass Elliot? ‘Mondays will never be the same.’”
Jack Blake (Port St. Joe, Fla.): “One of my most memorable reads of yours was a struggle but I endured, and I was finally able to download your column while in the Antarctic. Yes, I’ve read you throughout those 25 years in all seven continents and I’ve always admired your humility, your thoughtfulness, your creativity in reporting. Please accept my simple but heartfelt thanks for what you’ve meant to me.”
FINAL THANK YOU
King: “And to all of you: My appreciation for reading, for watching, for listening, for making my life’s work so incredibly rewarding. Until we meet again, my everlasting thanks. Onward.”
Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.
The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:
- PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio (Mondays) and Florio and Chris Simms (Tuesday-Thursday) streams on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays & is available on-demand. The Dan Patrick Show streams at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams Tuesday-Friday.
- com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
- NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
- The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King – including his interviews with players and coaches at training camps – Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe.
It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.
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