Scott Van Pelt has contracted the coronavirus. On Thursday evening, the ESPN personality announced on Twitter he tested positive for COVID-19 and will not be on TV until he’s healthy again. The 54-year old host of ESPN’s late-night SportsCenter also revealed the symptoms he has, which led to him getting tested for the virus.
“Won’t be doing shows for a bit after a positive Covid-19 test,” Van Pelt wrote. “Thankfully, no fever & I feel fine. Just can’t smell or taste anything which was my clue to go get a test. So, I will hunker down and hopefully can be back at it before too long.” A number of sports media personalities sent Van Pelt messages including Adam Schefter, Peter Schrager, Field Yates, and Matthew Berry, who recently tested positive for COVID-19.
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Van Pelt has been the host of the midnight edition of SportsCenter since September 2015. He also serves as the main host of ESPN’s golf coverage, including the Masters and the PGA Championship. The Maryland native joined ESPN in 2001 as the lead golf reporter. He then became an anchor for SportsCenter and later a co-host on ESPN Radio of Trico and Van Pelt.
In May, Van Pelt talked to CNN about doing SportsCenter while no games are being played due to the pandemic. “SportsCenter for the longest time has been that, this comfortable place to go… I compare us to that hoodie you throw over the corner of your door,” he said. “It’s not new, but it’s comfortable. We’re a comfortable place for people to come and we don’t take that lightly. We could have shuttered this operation, I suppose, but we haven’t because we feel like it still matters to people.” Van Pelt also said when sports return, it will be “weird at first” while also stating, “fans and people will be happy that they’re back at first and then they’re going to go, this stinks.”
Before Van Pelt joined ESPN, he did work for The Golf Channel. From 1994-2000, Van Pelt worked as an anchor and reported for the network while being the co-host of studio programs Golf Central and Leaderboard Report. Van Pelt began his sports broadcasting career atWTTG-TV (Fox) in Washington, D.C., in 1990. He went to college at the University of Maryland and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in radio/television film.
