Update On Michele Tafoya Sunday Night Football Fate Following Charged Colin Kaepernick Debate On ‘The View’

Multiple sources are now reporting that Michele Tafoya is out as sideline reporter for NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” next season. Rumors swirled amid Tafoya’s curious absence following her stint as co-host on “The View” where she clashed with Sunny Hostin during a segment discussing Colin Kaepernick’s comparison of the NFL to slave auctions.

While some sources say the decision is hers, others speculate that there could be something else at play. That ‘something’ could very well be Tafoya’s comments about former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick while appearing on “The View.”

Michele Tafoya’s Absence Draws Attention – NBC Responds

While Tafoya returned to NBC for a few football games after her appearance on the ABC talk show, she has been noticeably absent from the network’s NFL coverage since the Thanksgiving Night’s game between the Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints. 

Her unexpected absence drew speculation from sports media and fans alike. Many found the timing curious.

Eventually, NBC was compelled to respond. NBC described Tafoya’s Sunday Night Football absence as “bye weeks” to help squash the swirling rumors.

“Michele will be back on the sidelines this weekend,” NBC Sports told Fox News. “As we have done repeatedly, we’re again giving our announcers bye weeks in 2021, and we plan to do it well into the future. Michele’s off weeks – which were determined prior to the season — were all in cold-weather cities after Thanksgiving, and her final weekend off this season comes on Jan. 2 in Green Bay. Any other speculation about her time off is blatantly false.” 

So there you have it. Or… ?

However, sources have told The New York Post that Tafoya will no longer be a sideline reporter after this season comes to an end. Tafoya had been a renowned sideline reporter for 11 seasons.

Former NFL Star Weighs In 

Former NFL player Jack Brewer hypothesized that Tafoya’s controversial “The View” appearance “was an awakening for her. I think it uplifted her to take a stand for conservative principles and for her love for this nation.”

He told Fox News that Tafoya probably “doesn’t feel like she belongs” on the sidelines of a league that “supports the kind of mess” that Kaepernick pushes.

“I applaud her for it,” he said. “I hope she goes on and does more great things and becomes a leader in the movement for righteousness in this nation.” 

This comes days after sports analyst Bill Simmons brought up Tafoya’s absence during a podcast appearance. 

“There’s some good conspiracy stuff going on about this,” Simmons said. “Because she hosted ‘The View’ in the beginning of November. She was in the conservative seat, then a couple weeks later, all of a sudden, just on a bye. Taking a break.

“It would be one thing if the show was on 52 weeks a year, but it’s only on 17 weeks a year. Do you need three weeks off during a 17-week season?”

Related: Colin Kaepernick Attacked By Jon Gruden In Leaked Email – ‘They Should Cut This F***’

Michele Tafoya Challenges Colin Kaepernick On ‘The View’

While appearing on “The View” last month, Tafoya debated with the cohosts about Kaepernick around the time that Netflix released a special titled “Colin in Black and White.”

Tafoya clashed with co-host Sunny Hostin over comments Kaepernick had made in which he compared the NFL’s draft and training camps to slavery.

“No one pressures them,” Tafoya said. “They’re not forced to go into the NFL.”

“I thought comparing it to the slave trade was a little rough,” she later added. “These guys enter willingly. They are the most well-cared-for people. Yes, they play a hard sport, and every one of them – Black, White, Latino, whoever’s playing the sport – will tell you how much they love it and they’re willing to do it and they make a damn good living.”

Backstory: Colin Kaepernick Gets Destroyed Online For Equating NFL Draft Process To A Slave Auction

Sunny Hostin And Michele Tafoya Clash Over Colin Kaepernick

Hostin fired back by claiming that most NFL players are black while team owners are white.

“That comparison that he makes to slave owners and slaves is not, sort of, totally unreasonable or out of bounds,” she said.

Though Sunny Hostin claimed that Colin Kaepernick had “lost everything” since he started taking a knee or racial equality, Michele Tafoya pointed out that he has actually “gained a lot” since leaving the NFL, including a Netflix gig and a deal with Nike.

You can watch a recap of Michele Tafoya and Sunny Hostin’s Colin Kaepernick debate in the video below.

For now, the verdict is out on whether fans can expect to see popular NFL reporter Michelle Tafoya on the sidelines next season or not.