Veteran sideline reporter Michele Tafoya is leaving the fun and games of the NFL for the full-contact sport of politics.
The Atlantic reports that the 57-year-old broadcaster, who has worked 327 NFL games including Sunday’s Super Bowl, will co-chair Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls’ electoral efforts. Qualls is an Army veteran and a Republican.
Tafoya plans to put herself on the answering side of the microphone, appearing on programs where politics and current events are discussed. That, she hopes, will evolve into a gig with a weekly or daily show.
“I gave (NBC) my notice three years ago hoping to be done earlier,” Tafoya told the Athletic, insisting the split was her decision.
According to Tafoya, her sports broadcasting workload was supposed to start winding down in 2020, but COVID made scheduling complicated, so she stayed on full-time a little longer than planned. Tafoya said NBC always made clear that she was welcomed to stay there as long as she pleased.
“For me, I have to make my move while I’ve still got the energy to do other things and have an impact,” she said. “I don’t want to wait.”
Tafoya said there are things happening in the world she wants to be more vocal about and a show like “Sunday Night Football” isn’t the appropriate platform for sharing opinions that aren’t sports-related. Her work in sports also included sideline reporting for the NBA, college football and basketball interviews, and Olympics swimming coverage.
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