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Laura Rutledge’s schedule during football season is always busy.<\/p>\n
The ESPN reporter hosts “NFL Live,” the network’s weekday news program year-round, beginning in 2020, and “SEC Nation” on Saturdays during the college football season.<\/p>\n
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Rutledge took on another assignment this season when he became a full-time reporter on “Monday Night Football.” Rutledge has done some work during NFL games for the past few seasons, but the network decided to have two reporters for every game in 2025.<\/p>\n
With his seemingly effortless transition from host to reporter – sometimes in minutes – and his expertise in college football and the NFL, the ever-energetic Rutledge has become the face of football on ESPN.<\/p>\n
On “Monday Night Football,” Rutledge joined Lisa Salters, who has been on the sidelines since 2012.<\/p>\n
“Lisa is amazing. She’s been doing this at such a high level for a long time and I’m very grateful because I’m still learning in many ways and I’m fully aware of that,” Rutledge told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I just love his perspective on things and it’s been a gift and a privilege for me to be able to spend time with him.”<\/p>\n
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Rutledge’s regular schedule has been hosting “NFL Live” on Mondays from the game site and doing sideline reports. Then it’s back to ESPN’s studios in Bristol, Connecticut, where he anchors “NFL Live” from Tuesday through Thursday, before leaving on Friday to host “SEC Nation” on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Rutledge joined ESPN in 2014 and has been on “SEC Nation” since its inception. He has also had other roles in ESPN’s college football coverage, including reporting on the sidelines of College Football Playoff games.<\/p>\n
“Having Laura join Lisa Salters, whose expertise and journalism have long set the tone for our news, on ‘Monday Night Football’ has greatly elevated the overall editorial feel of our broadcast. Whether she’s reporting on the air or feeding a truckload of critical information or to Joe (Buck) and Troy (Aikman), Lauract’s natural ability to report a story brings energy and passion, and she lifts everyone around her,” said Mark Gross, vice president. of ESPN’s senior vice president of production.<\/p>\n
ESPN approached Rutledge during the spring about doing a full \u201cMonday Night Football\u201d show. He understood that he would add responsibility and not trade one job for another.<\/p>\n
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“I think when it comes to how the show ended up, it was more than I expected. I was prepared for what I knew was going to be crazy, but it was out of control,” Rutledge said this week while preparing for Sunday’s division game between the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots. “It was like this cycle of revolving doors every week, but what a privilege to have these things. I mean, it’s beyond my wildest dreams.<\/p>\n
Rutledge also showed during college football and the NFL combine that he can make quick adjustments on the fly.<\/p>\n
During the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day, ESPN cameras caught Rutledge running from the sidelines \u2014 where he was reporting for “SEC Nation” on the SEC Network \u2014 across the field to anchor ESPN’s halftime coverage.<\/p>\n
The 45-second dash even got a full highlight reel from Chris Berman, who was thrilled to watch Rutledge pass the Mississippi team.<\/p>\n
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“I’ll never get over it. It’s one of the coolest things that’s ever happened in my life. He’s been an amazing mentor to me, so it’s something I’ll cherish forever,” Rutledge said.<\/p>\n
Rutledge can also offer a real perspective on trying to get a postgame interview right after the game when the time is prime because of the 11pm local news.<\/p>\n
That came after the Los Angeles Chargers’ 22-19 overtime win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Dec. 8, when Rutledge intercepted Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert immediately after the play and appeared to be off guard.<\/p>\n
Rutledge got the interview \u2014 even if Herbert was quiet at first \u2014 after the Eagles appeared to be driving for the winning score and Rutledge was on the other side of the field.<\/p>\n
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“We had less time than usual and I was still trying my best to get Justin Herbert to shake hands with the people he wanted to see,” said Rutledge. “The way I see it, you don’t want a player caught off guard. So we try to be very sensitive. And then when the team says, ‘You’re going to get this player,’ that’s what we have to do.<\/p>\n
“I don’t blame anyone in that situation. We were both trying to do our job and he stopped when he was doing the interview.”<\/p>\n
The mood was the opposite for Seahawks QB Sam Darnold after Seattle beat the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 3. ESPN and ABC had overtime because the Seahawks’ 13-3 victory ended at 10:46 pm EDT.<\/p>\n
Rutledge told Darnold he had time to find San Francisco’s Brock Purdy and exchange pleasantries before returning to do the interview. Some viewers speculated on social media that Darnold was trying to get out of talking to Rutledge.<\/p>\n
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“I try not to say anything public about these things, but I’m not going to have people trashing these guys. They deserve better than that,” Rutledge said. “He was asking me if we should do an interview at that time.”<\/p>\n
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AP NFL: <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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