Laura Rutledge Explains Awkward Postgame Interview With Sam Darnold

Laura Rutledge She hasn’t had much downtime over the past few days, but she still has room in her schedule to put some rumors to rest.

The ESPN reporter — who was walking around (literally) covering college football and the NFL over the weekend — took to the X to break down what happened after the Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers game at Levi’s Stadium on Saturday, January 3.

After a massive 13-3 win for the Seahawks, which saw them clinch the top seed in the NFC, Seattle’s quarterback Sam Darnold She appeared to ignore Rutledge, 37, as she tried to get a post-match interview.

One user on X posted a clip of the moment, berating Darnold, 28, for skipping the interview. (Routledge eventually spoke to Darnold after the game.)

Rutledge responded to the social media post explaining that Darnold was looking for a quarterback for the 49ers Brooke Purdy At that time he returned for the interview.

“Hey! You may have missed where I explained that I asked Darnold to take his time talking to whoever he wanted to see because we had time before we went off the air,” Rutledge posted after the incident broke. “He was looking for Brock Purdy and was able to find him and then kindly conducted the interview.”

In response to another post, she said: “We actually had so much time that we had to go off the air, so I told Darnold he had plenty of time to talk to whoever he wanted to see. Thanks!”

The incident comes just a few weeks after the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback died Justin Herbert Rutledge was widely reported to have been snubbed after the team’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles on December 8.

After some pushback, Herbert, 27, eventually answered Rutledge’s questions – although he gave short, quick answers and was clearly distracted at that moment.

The midfielder – who is currently dating the singer Madison Beer He received criticism at the time for trying to evade the interview.

Rutledge laughed off the original incident on social media, sharing a clip of the interview and writing, “Tough day at the office. Let’s have a good laugh and move on!”

In addition to her duties in preparing side reports Monday Night Football and prime-time college football games, hosted by Rutledge NFL Live and SEC Nationgiving her a full schedule without a doubt.

Fans saw firsthand how important every second on Rutledge’s schedule is, as she went viral for her double duty during the college football quarterfinal game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels on Thursday, January 1.

Rutledge was seen running across the field at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, having less than 60 seconds to run from her halftime side interview to host the College Football Playoff halftime show.

“Maybe two minutes to get to the group,” Rutledge said. The athlete In an interview published on Friday, January 2. “It’s very fast. “The goal is to get there as quickly as possible not only because we will be live on TV, but also because I have to know exactly what we are doing.”