Wojnarowski, 55, announced he was retiring from ESPN after seven years to become the general manager of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program in September. In his retirement announcement, Wojnarowski wrote, ‘Time isn’t in endless supply and I want to spend mine in ways that are more personally meaningful.’
On Thursday, Wojnarowski explained that specific line ‘was about the cancer.’
In an article published by Sports Illustrated, Wojnarowski revealed he was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer in March right before an ESPN segment after a physical revealed high levels of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in his blood. Wojnarowski said his diagnosis is good, noting that his cancer is “pretty limited in scope’ and doesn’t require surgery, only active monitoring and some lifestyle changes, like a better diet and exercise.
“When you hear cancer, you think about it going through your body like Pac-Man,” said Wojnarowski, who is asymptomatic. “Prostate cancer, it generally stays confined to your prostate and is typically slow growing.”
Wojnarowski said his cancer diagnosis wasn’t the sole reason for his departure, but the health scare prompted him to take stock on what’s really important in his life — his family.
‘I didn’t want to spend one more day of my life waiting on someone’s MRI or hitting an agent at 1 a.m. about an ankle sprain,’ Wojnarowski told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. “In the end it’s just going to be your family and close friends. And it’s also, like, nobody gives a (expletive). Nobody remembers (breaking stories) in the end. It’s just vapor.’
Wojnarowski, who traded in $7.3 million annually at ESPN for a $75,000 annual salary at his alma mater St. Bonaventure, said, ‘The only reason to stay was the money. That wasn’t a good enough reason.”
His family — wife Amy and children Annie, 25, and Ben, 22 — agreed and were ‘ready for him to go.’ Ben, a senior at the University of Denver, offered some blunt advice to his Dad: “People think your job is great. I think your job (expletive) sucks.’
Wojnarowski said he’s looking forward to his new position: “What I was doing, it just wasn’t fulfilling anymore. I was just done. This is what gets me excited. To learn something new, to be part of something like this. It’s a whole new challenge.”
In a social media post following his Sports illustrated profile, Wojnarowski thanked everyone for their well wishes and assured he’s going to be fine.’ He added, ‘My goal in sharing a prostate cancer diagnosis is to encourage screening and testing among men. Early diagnosis will make all the difference for me — and many others too.’
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