Curt Schilling has been diagnosed with cancer, leaving the job status of the former Red Sox ace and ESPN broadcaster filled with uncertainty.
The retired pitcher announced Wednesday that he was diagnosed with cancer, though did not specify when the diagnosis was made or the type of cancer.
“I’ve always believed life is about embracing the gifts and rising up to meet the challenges,” Schilling announced Wednesday in a statement. “We’ve been presented with another challenge, as I’ve recently been diagnosed with cancer. Shonda and I want to send a sincere thank you and our appreciation to those who have called and sent prayers, and we ask that if you are so inclined, to keep the Schilling family in your prayers.”
Curt Schilling is currently working as a baseball analyst with ESPN, and the network planned to make him part of the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast team in the upcoming season.
The network also released a statement on Wednesday supporting Schilling and his family, though they did not say how Schilling’s treatment could affect his booth duties.
“Our thoughts are with Curt and his family during this challenging time,” the network said in a statement . “His ESPN teammates wish him continued strength in his cancer fight and we look forward to welcoming him back to our baseball coverage whenever he’s ready.”
Schilling, who won World Series titles in 2001 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and 2004 with the Red Sox, has seen a spate of health problems in recent years. Last year he told the Boston Globe that he had a heart attack in 2011, leading to surgery to place a stent in one of his arteries.
In his statement, Schilling thanked his doctors and vowed to fight.
“With my incredibly talented medical team, I’m ready to try and win another big game. I’ve been so very blessed and I feel grateful for what God has allowed my family to have and experience, and I’ll embrace this fight just like the rest of them, with resolute faith and head on.”
Curt Schilling did not say what his cancer treatment will entail or how long he could be gone from the broadcast booth, if at all.