Don Van Natta Jr. is an investigative reporter whose work appears across ESPN platforms including Outside the Lines and ESPN.com. He is also the reporter and host of the ESPN docuseries Backstory that debuted in 2019. Since joining ESPN in January 2012, Van Natta has done cross-platform, investigative stories about scandals embroiling the National Football League, Commissioner Roger Goodell, Penn State University, Rutgers University and others. Besides his written work, he is often featured on Outside the Lines, the network’s Emmy-award winning investigative series. Van Natta’s long-form articles were anthologized four consecutive years in The Best American Sports Writing series and in 2018, a series of stories about the NFL that he co-wrote with ESPN senior writer Seth Wickersham was a finalist for a National Magazine Award. In 2016 the Society of Professional Journalists named Van Natta a “Fellow of the Society,” the organization’s highest professional honor awarded for “extraordinary contribution” to the journalism profession.
