Samantha Ponder, ESPN reporter and wife of Raiders quarterback Christian Ponder, announced Thursday night on Instagram that she was hanging up her sideline reporter “flats” to spend more time with her 1-year-old daughter and focus on “new dreams.”
Ponder first jumped on the ESPN ship on the Longhorn Network back in 2011, and she started appearing as a sideline reporter for the main network in 2013, working primarily on the Thursday Night Football broadcasts. She has said she will continue to appear on other ESPN programming such as College Football Live, and College GameDay. Ponder’s full caption on her Instagram post reads:
Took this picture during halftime of an ASU/WSU game 2 years ago because an hour before game time I found out I was pregnant with Scout. It was the most nervous I’ve ever been doing a game because I couldn’t stop thinking about how my life was about to change. All that to say, I decided to hang up my sideline reporter… uh… flats(?) so that I can spend more time investing in my husband, daughter and new dreams. Taking Scout away from her dad 5 days a week was incredibly difficult for me and Christian but I wanted to honor the commitment I made. Thank you to everyone w/Thursday Night Football & everyone at every school we covered who treated me with respect and kindness. I will never forget the last 4 years of games and more importantly, relationships. I will still be annoying you all day Friday & Saturday on CFBLive, Sportscenter & College Gameday. Thanks for all your support in this exciting new time for me and my family. ❤️
Who knows how much longer Christian Ponder will last in the NFL, so perhaps he has his eyes set on joining his wife on TV if he doesn’t last as the Raiders backup to Derek Carr. Until then, our time enjoying the Ponder family on television has been cut significantly this upcoming football season.
