FOX is making a change to its NFL broadcasting lineup this fall, promoting a college football sideline reporter to fill the void left by a longtime network fixture.
Allison Williams, who joined Fox Sports in August 2022 after a long stint at ESPN, will replace Laura Okmin as one of FOX’s NFL sideline reporters, according to Front Office Sports.
Okmin retired from FOX last month after 23 years, saying she intended to continue calling games for Westwood One while also focusing on her company, GALVANIZE, which helps train and connect women preparing for a career in sports.
“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. “I called my boss and my friend Jacob Ullman, who I’ve known as long as I’ve been at Fox Sports. I’m happy to say he was very surprised. I would have been very disappointed if there was any other reaction. It was a really nice call, because I got to have it with my boss and my friend.”
Williams, 41, meanwhile, has been a college football sideline reporter and studio host since moving over to FOX. The University of Miami alum made headlines in 2021 when she left ESPN following a dispute over the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
CORVALLIS, OREGON – SEPTEMBER 14: Dillon Gabriel #8 of the Oregon Ducks is interviewed by Fox Sports sideline reporter Allison Williams after the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium on September 14, 2024 in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
Soobum Im/Getty Images
Williams, who was undergoing IVF treatments while attempting to conceive her second child with her husband, opted not to get the shot.
After ESPN denied her attempt to obtain an exemption, Williams announced she would be leaving the company after 10 years.
A short time later, Williams landed at conservative commentary site The Daily Wire, providing sports content before ultimately moving on to Fox Sports.
Last season, Okmin was part of a broadcasting team with play-by-play announcer Kevin Kugler and game analyst Daryl “Moose” Johnston for FOX. We’ll learn soon whether Williams will jump into that role or work with another group as FOX reshuffles some of its NFL lineups.
Source:: Life – Fitness – mensjournal
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