Mike Ditka's Family Provides Update Amid Rumors Of Legendary Coach Landing In Hospice

Rumors began swirling earlier in the week that NFL Hall of Famer Mike Ditka had landed in hospice, but his family has shared that is not the case for the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys legend.

Speculation hit such a point on Monday about Ditka's health and his landing in hospice care that Jarrett Payton, the son of Walter Payton, addressed the rumors on X, formerly Twitter.

"I've seen reports claiming that Mike Ditka has entered hospice care. I can confirm these reports are not true," Payton wrote on Monday morning.

Hours after Payton's post on social media, the Chicago Sun-Times published a story with comments from both Mike and his wife, Diana, confirming he was back in the Windy City and not in hospice.

"I’m finally home! This city is my home. I love it," Ditka told the Sun-Times. "I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally be home…to be back, although it was mighty cold when we got off the private plane at Midway airport a few nights ago," Ditka explained. "It’s the people I miss … miss more than anything," he continued.

Diana is quoted in the story saying "my husband is NOT in hospice," but she did explain that caretakers are in attendance.

Mike Ditka, who coached the Chicago Bears 1982-1992, is back in the Windy City. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

The 85-year-old has battled health issues for more than a decade, having suffered a minor stroke in 2012 and a heart attack in 2018 that put him in a hospital in Florida. Ditka has spent the last few years living in the Sunshine State but is reportedly back living in the same apartment complex in Chicago that he and his wife occuppied before moving south.

Ditka, who is originally from Pennsylvania, began his playing career with the Bears in 1961 and was with the franchise until 1967 when he landed with the Philadelphia Eagles. He finished his playing career in 1972 with the Dallas Cowboys before getting into the coaching ranks with Dallas the following year. 

Ditka won one Super Bowl with the Cowboys as a player in 1972 and again as a member of the coaching staff in 1978. He delivered a Super Bowl to Chicago as the head coach in 1986 when the Bears dismantled the New England Patriots 46-10 in New Orleans.