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ESPN's Laura Rutledge Is Married To A Former Professional Athlete

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Dec 9, 2025 1:42 PM ET

There aren't many ESPN hosts who have received more praise over the past decade than Laura Rutledge, that's for sure.

ESPN hired Rutledge in 2014 as a reporter for SEC Network. Six years later, she was named the host of "NFL Live." Fans get to see her on national television from Monday through Friday with Ryan Clark, Mina Kimes, Dan Orlovsky and Marcus Spears.

Prior to the start of the 2025 NFL season, ESPN announced that Rutledge was joining the "Monday Night Football" crew as a sideline reporter.

"With the 2025 Monday Night Football season on the horizon, ESPN has extended Lisa Salters, elevated Laura Rutledge’s sideline reporting role and added both Katie George and Peter Schrager to its game coverage, resulting in two sideline reporters for all 25 NFL on ESPN games," the network said, via ESPN Press Room. "Rutledge, now a two-time Emmy recipient as the host of NFL Live and reporting for SEC on ABC, has joined Buck, Aikman and Salters for marquee MNF regular season games and ESPN’s Wild Card and Divisional playoff games for the past few seasons, sharing the sidelines with Salters more than a dozen times. In those same seasons, Rutledge was the sideline reporter with Fowler, Orlovsky, and Riddick for select MNF dual game weeks."

Dec 8, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge (left) interviews Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Rutledge went viral on "Monday Night Football" due to her postgame interview with Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

For some reason, Herbert was very dismissive of Rutledge. That didn't stop her from getting a few comments out of the Oregon product. The majority of the NFL world praised her for staying professional under tough circumstances.

Get to know Laura Rutledge.

Although she does a great job of keeping her personal life out of the spotlight, Rutledge's marriage is no secret. She's been with former Boston Red Sox infielder Josh Rutledge since 2011.

During his MLB career from 2012-2017, Josh Rutledge had a .258 batting average with 20 home runs and 111 RBI. Despite his ties to baseball, he actually met Laura at an Alabama football game.

Laura and Josh welcomed their first child, Reese, in October 2019. By May of 2023, they announced the birth of their son Jack.

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After retiring from the MLB, Josh Rutledge became a financial advisor at Wells Fargo. He's reportedly a realtor with Coldwell Banker West Hartford.

"I’ve always loved exploring homes and land so I couldn’t be more excited to help people with any real estate needs they have," Josh Rutledge said, via PEOPLE.

Suffice to say, Laura and Josh are thriving in their respective careers.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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