Laura Rutledge was the MVP of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The ESPN personality — who hosted the ABC broadcast while nine months pregnant — brought her husband, Josh Rutledge, to the draft in case she went into labor.
Rutledge, who is the host of the daily football show, “NFL Live,” shared that tidbit in a TikTok video about what it’s like to cover the NFL draft for ESPN.
She filmed herself traveling all over the draft grounds at Kansas City’s iconic Union Station — where she rode a golf cart to the red carpet in order to get makeup touches on the way.
In addition to hosting ABC’s on-site coverage with the “NFL Live” crew, Rutledge also switched locations two other times: To do red carpet interviews and then separate interviews with the draftees in the green room after their name was called.
Rutledge had a 6:30 a.m. wakeup time to shower and get ready for the day.
“Josh is with me incase I go into labor,” she said while putting the camera on her husband — a former MLB player, who currently works as a realtor in West Hartford, Conn., where the couple lives in a log cabin-style home.
Rutledge is due to give birth to a son on May 24, and got permission from her doctor to work the draft assignment, she told The Athletic.
“For me, it was first about making sure I was healthy and everything was fine,” Rutledge told the outlet.“I’m just really trying to listen to my body.
“I will say Thursday took a toll. I feel like I got hit by a truck.
“There were times last night where I wondered, ‘Is that a contraction? What is that? Is it just pain?’
“I totally admire women who say ‘I’m just going to stay home and make sure that I’m healthy and in a good spot.’ I also admire women who say ‘I’m going to keep going.’ There’s something inspiring about that.”
Rutledge — who also hosted the College Football Playoff and the Super Bowl in February — explained how she stays strong through her busy work schedule while pregnant.
“It’s very special to me to look back one day and say, ‘Wow, I had our son with me on this assignment,'” she said, referring to the 2023 NFL Draft. “He’s been with me the entire football season. He covered the College Football Playoff and Super Bowl and all these cool moments.
“As a woman in this business, it matters to me to try and show our kids that we can do all of this. It’s not going to be easy, and we’ve got to be fighters and really strong. But I am thankful that I’m able to do it.”
Rutledge added that the NFL draft is her favorite event to work, and that it would’ve been “really hard” to sit home and not be with her “NFL Live” family of Mina Kimes, Dan Orlovsky and Marcus Spears.
She and Josh welcomed their daughter Reese on Oct. 2, 2019 — which is Rutledge’s birthday.