Laura Rutledge sends message to former colleagues during Saturday’s SEC Nation
By Jacob Moss
Published:
The SEC Network’s traveling pre-game program SEC Nation made the trek to Austin, Texas, in Week 2 for the marquee matchup between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Texas, but the crew was missing a familiar face.
This would be long-time program host and SEC Network sideline reporter, who left the program over the offseason to take on more high-profile assignments for ESPN.
As it just so happens, Rutledge was also in Austin with ESPN’s main broadcast crew as a sideline reporter, and she sent a heartfelt message to her former SEC Nation colleagues during the show on Saturday morning.
A University of Florida alumna, Rutledge spent 10 years with the SEC Network as both a sideline reporter and host of SEC Nation. She also worked on other major ESPN programs, including SportsCenter and NFL Live.
She stepped away from her role with the SEC Network earlier this year to shift her focus toward ESPN’s expanding NFL coverage, leaving behind her longtime colleagues in the process.
Despite the career shift, it’s clear that Rutledge still has a lot of love for her former SEC Nation family, though, and this heartwarming moment shows just how special the connections she made while on the show still are to her.
