Fox Sports reporter who quit over vaccine mandate gets promotion
In 2021, Williams left ESPN after they refused to accommodate her decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine because she was trying to get pregnant. The Walt Disney Company, which owns ESPN, mandated that all cast members need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 — however, Williams was trying for a child and announced that she would not be getting it.
She eventually left the network — where she worked on the sidelines at college football and basketball games — and swiftly joined Fox Sports. Since then, she has worked as a college football sideline reporter and studio host for Fox. However, she is now set to make another step forward in her career.
According to Front Office Sports, Williams will take on the role of NFL sideline reporter on one of the network's announce teams this season and replace the departing Laura Okmin. Okmin will bid farewell to the network after turning down a contract extension. She is the third-longest-tenured sideline reporter in NFL history.
She was initially barred from working on the sidelines of college football games this season because she refused to comply with the network's vaccine mandate while she and her husband try for their second child. In an Instagram video shared at the time, a visibly emotional Williams said that her 'request for accommodation' had been denied, about a month after announcing she would be sitting the season out because she hadn't yet received the vaccination.
'Ultimately, I can not put a paycheck over principal and I will not sacrifice something I believe in strongly to maintain a career,' Williams said near-tears in the video. Shortly after that, she confirmed that she would be 'separating' from ESPN. 'Belief is a word I've been thinking about a lot lately, because in addition to the medical apprehensions regarding my desire to have another child in regards to receiving this injection, I am also so morally and ethically not aligned with this,' Williams said.
'And I've had to really dig deep and analyze my values and my morals, and ultimately I need to put them first.' 'And the irony in all this is that a lot of those same values and principals I hold so dear are what made me a really good employee and probably helped with the success that I've been able to have in my career.' Williams, who had been with the network since 2011, said she was having trouble coming to terms with the fact that the national championship game she covered in January, 2021, may now be the last college football game she will work. In a statement, a spokesman for ESPN told DailyMail.com: 'We aren't going to comment on an individual. We are going through a thorough review of accommodation requests on a case by case basis, and are granting accommodations consistent with our legal obligations. Our focus is on a safe work environment for everyone.'
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