Rich Eisen Honors Late Colleague Stuart Scott in Emotional SportsCenter Return

NEW YORK, August 19, 2025 - Rich Eisen returned to ESPN’s SportsCenter on Monday. It was his first time back in 22 years. He gave an emotional tribute to his former co-host and friend, Stuart Scott.

Eisen, aged 56, sat back in the familiar studio chair on August 18. This marked his return to the show since he left ESPN in 2003 for the NFL Network. Midway through the broadcast, he stopped the highlights reel. He took a moment to honor the void created by Scott’s absence.

““It has been a blast being here tonight,” Eisen said, voice cracking with emotion. ““But listen, we all know someone else should be in this chair next to me. It’s my dear late friend, Stuart Scott. I feel him looking over my shoulder now.” I miss Stuart so very much.”

The tribute started with old ESPN commercials. They featured Eisen, Scott, and the late Kobe Bryant. This brought back a strong sense of nostalgia. Eisen thought about how Scott would have reacted to today’s news. It included Bill Belichick’s coaching at his old school and LeBron James hitting over 40,000 points at age 40. He wondered what it would be like if Scott joined the Inside the NBA crew when they move to ESPN this fall.

Scott changed sports broadcasting with his unique style and catchphrases like “Boo-yah!” He passed away at 49 in January 2015 after fighting appendiceal cancer for a long time. Eisen’s tribute shows how strong the link is between him and the broadcaster. His influence on sports journalism and pop culture lasts to this day.

Eisen is back at SportsCenter after ESPN bought the NFL Network. This deal lets him appear on both channels while keeping his NFL role. Monday’s broadcast was more than just breaking news and highlights. It celebrated Stuart Scott’s lasting legacy in a heartfelt way.