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Laura Rutledge Claps Back At Troll Claiming She Was Snubbed By Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold

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This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.

Laura Rutledge Claps Back At Troll Over Claim She Was Snubbed By Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold
Laura Rutledge (Photo By Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)

ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge did not let an online troll change the story after Saturday night’s game.

Rutledge was on the field at Levi’s Stadium after the Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers 13-3. The win secured the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed for Seattle under head coach Mike Macdonald. After the final whistle, Rutledge stepped onto the field to set up a postgame interview with quarterback Sam Darnold.

Darnold took a few moments before speaking. He stopped to hug teammates and talk with players from the other team. That short delay led to various opinions from fans. One user on X claimed Darnold ignored Rutledge and wrote, “Pretty sure a quarterback just blew off @LauraRutledge.”

Rutledge quickly cleared it up. She responded publicly on X and explained that there was no issue at all. “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. Her response spread quickly and flipped the story.

Fans React, And Rutledge’s Old Criticism Resurfaces

Laura Rutledge interviews Justin Herbert (Photo Via Imagn Images)

Rutledge stayed calm and stuck to the facts. Many said sideline reporters often take unfair heat online. Others pointed out that players usually need a moment after games and that context gets lost on social media.

The situation also brought up a recent moment with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert faced online criticism after a postgame exchange with Rutledge following a December 8 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rutledge tried to grab Herbert for a quick ESPN interview. He said he wanted to celebrate with his teammates and walked away at first. She asked again for a short interview, and Herbert stopped, but his answers were brief before he moved on.

“The defense played incredible. They came up with so many big stops today. So proud to be able to play for those guys,” Herbert said when Rutledge asked about the Chargers’ performance. When she asked about his surgically repaired hand, he replied, “I feel pretty good, thank you.”

Fans reacted strongly online. Fox7Austin reporter Alec Nolan wrote, “I’m sorry I thought Justin Herbert was extremely rude to ESPN’s Laura Rutledge.”

Saturday night in Santa Clara told a different story. Rutledge controlled the narrative with facts and transparency.

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