ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris has announced he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The veteran ESPN personality shared the news in an exclusive interview with Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan Thursday morning.
In making the announcement, Harris said he plans on fully recovering and returning to the SportsCenter desk in a short amount of time.
“I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I’m having surgery on Tuesday,” said Harris. “I’ll be away from SportsCenter for about a month to recover, and then I’m coming back better than ever.”
Furthermore, Harris explained that his doctor is “quite optimistic” about the prognosis of the cancer because the cancer has not spread, per Harris’ last scan. Additionally, he explained that the reason he was making the announcement in such a public forum is because men don’t talk about personal medical items too often.
“We all need to talk about these things because we all have them in our families,” explained Harris. “By not talking about them, I hate to be morbid, but we sentence ourselves to death by not talking.”
ESPN hired Harris in 2003 as an ESPNEWS anchor. Since then, he has continued to evolve and grow with the SportsCenter program. He’s also hosted Outside the Lines, NFL Live, Baseball Tonight, and NBA Finals coverage.
Moreover, Harris has more than 30 years of experience in television and radio news. His career includes time as a morning news anchor at WAMO-FM and national news reporter at American Urban Radio Networks, both in Pittsburgh, as well as at WOWI-FM in Norfolk, Va., and as a weeknight anchor at WPGH-TV in the Steel City.
Among his other honors, Harris has contributed to multiple SportsCenter Emmy Awards. He is also a recipient of a Silver World Medal from the New York Festival Awards, the Robert L. Vann Award from the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, and an EXCEL Award from the Hampton Roads Black Media Professionals.
Finally, Harris explained to Strahan the massive amount of support he has received from colleagues and friends who have dealt with—or know someone who has dealt with—prostate cancer.
“Folks have been great,” said Harris. “Every time I talk to someone, they go ‘my uncle had it’ or ‘my cousin has it’ or ‘my father-in-law has it. You want me to give them your number so they can talk to you.’ Everybody’s been so welcoming, I love that part.”
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