Where is Michele Tafoya?
SPORTS sideline reporter Michele Tafoya officially announced on February 15, 2022, she won't be returning to NBC Sports.
Tafoya is an NBC sportscaster who regularly makes appearances on NBC's Sunday Night Football.
Why was Michele Tafoya absent from NBC Sports?
Viewers noticed sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya's absence from NBC Sports in December 2021 and wondered if she would be back.
Tafoya started her career in sports journalism in 1993 and has since covered more than 300 NFL games.
She worked for NBC Sports since 2011 but when she missed three NFL games in December, questions arose about whether she had been put on a leave of absence after her interview on The View.
During her interview, Tafoya said Covid-19 was comparable to the flu, defended anti-vaxxers, and said disputed Colin Kaepernick's exit from the NFL for him taking a knee in activism against racial injustice. Tafoya said she is vaccinated against Covid-19.
NBC Sports and Tafoya adamantly stated she had not been reprimanded for her comments, and Tafoya said she simply used her accrued time off for the coldest games.
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In a LinkedIn post, Tafoya said, "Thanks for the texts and emails…I was given four games off this season (it's a long NFL season, with the Olympics before and the Super Bowl after).
"Those who checked in, thank you! I thought no one missed me! Back at it next Sunday in Tampa Bay!"
Did Michele Tafoya leave NBC Sports?
On December 14, 2021, the New York Post reported that this season was expected to be Tafoya's final season on Sunday Night Football.
Sources told the New York Post that it was her decision to step away from the field sidelines.
NBC officially confirmed on February 15, 2022, that Tafoya has left her role at NBC Sports and the Super Bowl LVI was her last time on air.
Tafoya said she left to pursue politics as the co-chair for the campaign for Kendall Qualls who will be running as a Republican in the primary for Governor of Minnesota.
"I got to a point in my life where I wanted to try other things, and there are some things that are really important to me," Tafoya told The Atlantic.
She added that her new position will allow her to be "free to be as vocal about world events that I'm concerned about.
"It's not because I was told to shut up. I want to be very clear about that. But look, if you're on a show like Sunday Night Football, which is the No. 1 show in prime time for 11 straight years, unprecedented, the last thing they want to do is invite controversy."
In her announcement about her new position, Tafoya said, "After taking a step back from the sports broadcasting world, I'm honored that my next phase involves supporting Kendall in his run for Governor of Minnesota.
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