In a couple of weeks, NFL Live host Laura Rutledge is going to give birth to her second child. As she reflects back on when she had her daughter Reese in 2019, she remembers a time where she thought that having a child could mean the end of her career.
Rutledge was a guest on The Adam Schefter Podcast this week and she reflected back to when she thought that she couldn’t invest the time in both being a great mom and doing all of the demands that being on TV has. Now, she has a different mindset.
“I felt like I had ruined everything I had worked for, which is so sad because that’s so ridiculous when you think about the joy of having children. This time, I have been determined to celebrate it as much as I can and also find ways to say no matter what happens, we are going to work through the challenges and there’s going to be a way to continue the career because there’s no other option. Women should feel that way no matter what career they are in.”
Rutledge was determined to cover the NFL Draft in Kansas City last month even while 9 months pregnant. She told Schefter it is her favorite event on the sports calendar.
“I love everything about it. The fact that it’s the college football world and the NFL, my 2 favorite worlds, colliding all in one and you really do see lives change and the NFL changes and all of the things we talk about everyday kind of just come to a head wherever the draft is last year. To miss it might have actually sent me into labor at home. I would have been so frustrated.”
At the same time, Rutledge wanted to make sure she could cover the NFL Draft, so she kept checking with her doctor to make sure it was okay.
“Every week, we would sort of talk through it and I had an appointment a couple of days before I left for the draft. I said ‘You can tell me not to go. Please tell me not to go if it’s not safe.’ She said no, I want you to do this if you feel okay… Definitely was not the most comfortable I’ve ever been in life, but that’s okay. I was so thankful to be there.”
