John Brenkus, host of ESPN’s “Sport Science,” died Saturday at 54 years old after “battling depression,” according to a statement.
“His heartbroken family and friends request privacy at this time and encourage anyone who is struggling with depression to seek help,” the statement reads.
Brenkus created and hosted “Sport Science,” which ran from 2007 to 2017 and and won six Sports Emmy awards.
The network’s “SportsCenter” aired a tribute to Brenkus over the weekend.
“John was uniquely talented and singularly brilliant at not only analyzing sports but then translating sports and science to generations of fans in memorable ways, because John was memorable,” host Randy Scott said during the tribute.
In 2023, Brenkus said on the “Never Shut Up” show that while he was living in Utah after he sold “Sport Science” to ESPN in 2010, he fell into a “very deep depression.”
“The isolation that you feel living in a mountain town, the cold weather, injuries, things not going right, I spiraled into a deep, deep depression and I was flat-out suicidal,” Brenkus said.
He credited his dog with refusing to leave him alone, prompting him to ask himself, “What am I doing?” and call his mother for help. He later saw several different psychiatrists and “found a solution.”
Brenkus added he learned that depression “is not about being sad.”
“It’s about the way we are constructed as humans having thought loops,” he said. “And people get caught in thought loops and they can’t get out of their own way.”
Brenkus wrote “The Perfection Point” in 2010, in which he sought out the “absolute limits” of nine athletic events.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
