ESPN’s Laura Rutledge Doesn’t Mince Words While Opening Up About Her Mental Health Battle

This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

ESPN host Laura Rutledge transitioned from hosting the network’s daily “NFL Live” show to becoming a sideline reporter for “Monday Night Football.” The promotion looked good at the beginning, but Rutledge experienced a series of changes that didn’t make it easy.

During a conversation on Wednesday’s episode of the “Sons and Daughters” podcast, Rutledge revealed that her new role brought on a wave of anxiety for her. More specifically, she struggles with constant doubts about whether she can do her job.

“I deal with that [anxiety] every day, I really do,” she said. “I think there’s probably some people out there in the world that go to their TV job and feel great about it every day, that has never happened to me.

“I can know inside of me I’m capable of doing these things and yet be my own worst enemy the whole time. Beating myself down or telling myself I can’t do it.”

Laura Rutledge Starred In Controversial Post-Game Moments During 2025 Season

The 2025 season was particularly busy for Rutledge. She starred in a couple of awkward situations with two star quarterbacks. First, Justin Herbert walked away from her after the Chargers beat the Eagles at the start of December.

“I think Justin Herbert’s amazing,” she later clarified. “Not everybody wants to do these interviews, right? We’re there to do our jobs, they’re there to do theirs, and I actually credit him for still standing there and doing the interview.”

A month later, she clarified to a troll that Seattle Seahawks star quarterback Sam Darnold didn’t ignore her after a game.

“Nope. Actually we had a lot of time till we had to go off air so I told Darnold he had plenty of time to talk to whoever he wanted to see. Thanks!” Rutledge wrote.

This might not be an easy job, but it’s good to see that she keeps pushing despite the challenges on and off the field.