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After more than a decade with NBC Sports, Michele Tafoya will work her final game as a sideline reporter for the company at Super Bowl LVI.
In a statement, Tafoya suggested that she wanted to explore professional areas outside of NFL sideline reporting.
“Some may consider me crazy to walk away from one of the more coveted roles in sports television, and I do not doubt that I will miss many aspects of the job,” Tafoya said. “But for some time, I have been considering other areas I would like to explore both personally and professionally. I couldn’t ignore that little voice anymore after what we have all endured over the last few years.”
This Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs will be Tafoya’s 325th primetime NFL game as a sideline reporter, more than any other reporter. Tafoya began her sports media career in 1993 at CBS Sports, and subsequently went on to work at ABC Sports and ESPN. She has won four Sports Emmy Awards and is a two-time Gracie Award winner.
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She also covered the 2016 and 2020 Olympic games for NBC.
“No one has performed the sideline reporter role better than Michele in my professional lifetime. She’s as good at her job as Al [Michaels] and Cris [Collinsworth]are at theirs,” said Sunday Night Football executive producer Fred Gaudelli in a statement. “Her contributions to Sunday Night Football have been significant and I know she’ll be successful at whatever she chooses next.”
Tafoya’s departure and desire to explore “other areas” raises the question of whether she is in contention to replace Meghan McCain on ABC’s The View. The daytime panel show has been seeking a conservative co-host to join the table, and Tafoya filled that role in November, sparring with her co-hosts over topics like critical race theory and COVID-19.
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