(Rallying Patriots) – Popular NBC Sports reporter Michele Tafoya has made the decision to leave her position as a top NFL sideline reporter to take on a political job. Her last game was Super Bowl LVI on Sunday during which the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20.
Tafoya is leaving her successful career in sports behind to join Kendall Qualls as he works to become the next governor of Minnesota, where Tafoya has lived for over two decades. Tafoya will serve as the co-chairwoman of Qualls’ campaign.
Qualls, an army veteran and businessman, announced the move on Monday in a news release, saying that he has been “fortunate to get to know Michele on a deeper level and appreciate her taking time from her busy schedule to help our campaign lead Minnesota in the right direction.”
Tafoya said in a statement that she was “taking a step back from the sports broadcasting world” and was “honored that my next phase involves supporting Kendall in his run for Governor of Minnesota.”
“Kendall has a clear message that resonates with the issues Minnesotans are facing under the current administration,” she said. “He’s smart and with his background and work ethic, I’m positive that he’s exactly what Minnesota needs in its next governor.”
The pre-game report by Michele Tafoya – Aaron Donald may consider retiring if the #Rams win the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/zS1TGGrkUu
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 13, 2022
🚨 BIG Announcement 🚨 Sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya will be joining my campaign as co-chairwoman! I’m excited to work with Michele & hope you’ll join us as we focus on saving Minnesota https://t.co/3gBUoJF9yv
— Kendall for Governor (@KQforMN) February 14, 2022
As she exits NFL sideline reporting, veteran NBC broadcaster Michele Tafoya is jumping deeper into Minnesota politics. #mngov candidate @KQforMN announced her this morning as his campaign co-chair.
Already rumblings she'll run for something in coming years. pic.twitter.com/MWIPBIbv0j
— Brian Bakst (@Stowydad) February 14, 2022
Qualls unsuccessfully ran as the Republican candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s 3rd District in 2020.
Tafoya discussed the timing of her decision to join the campaign and leave the sports world with former Fox News host Megyn Kelly in an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show posted to YouTube Monday.
“I am co-chair now of the Kendall Qualls for governor campaign in Minnesota, where I’ve lived for 25-plus years,” she said.
“I’ve been asked to run for governor, Megyn, but this is not the right time,” Tafoya continued. “I have two kids that are in high school and junior high. I want to see — I’ve missed so much. So I want to devote some time to my family, certainly, my husband included.
“But I am willing to step up for this gentleman, Kendall Qualls, and say, ‘We need a change in leadership. We need sensible, reasonable people.’”
She said, “I wake up every single morning, every morning, and there is a tug at my chest, and that tug is telling me, ‘Michelle, you have to help. Somehow, you’ve got to help.’ And I can’t do that in this role as a sideline reporter.”
Unlike unhinged liberals, Tafoya stuck to doing her job as a reporter on the sidelines and refrained from giving political commentary. No one would have ever known her political affiliation because she’s a good reporter.
Now that she is no longer working with NBC, Tafoya is also set to appear at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando, Florida, later this month. During her interview with Kelly she explained that she felt a physical “tugging” to get more involved and do more that she could no longer ignore.
Thank you, Michele Tafoya, for being the gold standard in our industry, man or woman.
You may be stepping away from the sideline, but you have opened the door for so many, and shown all of us how to do it right. No gimmicks. Sheer intellect, passion and integrity. Always. 🙏
— Bonnie Bernstein (@BonnieBernstein) February 14, 2022
She was given a touching goodbye after the conclusion of the Super Bowl on Sunday from legendary announcer Al Michaels, who is also likely to be leaving NBC Sports, according to the New York Post.
“We love you,” Michaels told her. “You’ve been so much fun.”
Tafoya then blew a kiss to the camera.
The next chapter has been in the works for some time, according to Tafoya. She told Richard Deitsch of The Athletic, “This is absolutely my decision,” Tafoya said. “I gave [NBC] my notice three years ago hoping to be done earlier.”
“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,” she said. “This is not to say that sports isn’t an important field, that my job isn’t an important job. But in my position, I was not as 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.”
Weird, no one seems to have told the NFL that. They’ve been inviting controversy since 2020 now. Tafoya is right though. Sports and politics should be kept separate.
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