After 23 years as an NFL sideline reporter for Fox Sports, Laura Okmin is leaving the network.
In an interview with Front Office Sports, Okmin revealed that, despite being offered a contract renewal to continue working on NFL sidelines for Fox, she’s opting to call it quits on television. Instead, Okmin will focus on her company, GALvanize, which helps mentor young women entering careers in sports. The veteran sideline reporter will continue to cover the NFL postseason and Super Bowl for Westwood One on the radio.
“They sent me the contract. I printed it out. I sat there. It was just my voice saying, ‘It’s time, this is it,'” Okmin told FOS. Last season, Okmin was paired with play-by-play voice Kevin Kugler and analyst Daryl “Moose” Johnston. It’s unclear who Fox will tap to replace her this season.
With over two decades of experience as an NFL sideline reporter, it is believed that Okmin is the third-longest-tenured sideline reporter in the NFL, behind her Fox colleague Pam Oliver and Michele Tafoya, who departed NBC in 2022.
Okmin told FOS that she won’t miss the criticism that comes with being a woman working in a high-profile NFL television gig.
“Honestly, it’s a tough job having to justify your job for 20 years,” she said. “Having to fight for your job and having to justify it. It feels like there’s a bit of dog years with that job. There’s a wonderfulness that comes with it. But also a lot of other shit.”
Along with covering the NFL for Fox, Okmin contributed to the network’s digital coverage of the 2012 and 2014 Olympic Games. Before joining Fox, she worked at TNT Sports, CNN, and SportsChannel in Chicago during Michael Jordan’s Bulls teams.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.