Dick Vitale said he turned down an offer to call NCAA tournament games for CBS, choosing to remain loyal to ESPN.

The 83-year-old Vitale has worked for ESPN since 1979, his only broadcasting job following a long career in coaching. A battle with cancer in recent years and vocal cord surgery in 2022 limited him to just one game per week on ESPN this past season.

Vitale told Sports Illustrated for a story published Thursday that CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus recently reached out and asked if he would be interested in calling “one or two” tournament games for the CBS family of networks, which hold exclusive rights to the NCAA tournament. Vitale said he declined.

“I was flattered when Sean asked, but I’m 83 now and I want to end my career with just ESPN on my résumé,” Vitale said. “What they did for me this last year has been amazing. They’ve treated me like royalty. It’s been 44 years just with them, and I just want to have ESPN on my résumé.”

Vitale underwent treatment for lymphoma and melanoma, with which he was diagnosed in 2021. However, he announced last August that he was cancer-free.