Maria Taylor will experience this first in her journalism career once the 2023 NFL Season starts: Motherhood.
Her journey, however, was not an easy one as she described via social media.
‘Not Been a Straight Path’
Taylor opened up about her pregnancy on her personal Instagram page — detailing the emotional trek she went on.
“The last three years have been some of the most physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging years of my life,” Taylor began. “My journey to motherhood has not been a straight path.”
That’s when the NBC Sports personality, best known for her work on Football Night in America, unveiled what her obstacles to motherhood were.
“It’s been diverted by surgeries, multiple egg retrievals, and failed IVF cycles,” she said. “There were times when I felt like my body was betraying me, that God didn’t want me to become a mom and that I ultimately didn’t deserve to be a mom. There were times when all I could do was cry and ask ‘why?’
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Taylor, 36, admitted to nearly giving up. But ultimately found the strength to continue her dream of raising a child. She shared how her husband became her rock the whole way.
“For every setback my husband was there reminding me to keep the faith,” Taylor said.
She added: “My friends and family held my hand and held me up as I traveled cross country for appointments. It’s still crazy to think that just a year ago I came into the NFL season with the news of a failed embryo transfer. Another hope dashed. And now this fall I come into a new season carrying the greatest gift of all.”
She ended her caption with: “Our sweet Prince will be here soon and I can’t wait to be his mom!”
The complete caption and IG post can be found here. Taylor also dropped a pregnancy announcement video on July 31.
I still can't believe I am saying this…WE'RE PREGNANT. Our sweet prince will be on set with me all season long. 💙 pic.twitter.com/1uq24VxJjk
— Maria Taylor (@MariaTaylor) July 31, 2023
Will Taylor Take Part in the 2023 NFL Season?
With a future child on deck, many NFL fans and viewers of NBC’s coverage will now wonder if Taylor will be taking part in the 2023 NFL season coverage for the network.
She’s not only handling NFL duties while pregnant but also helping with the launch of a new endeavor from the network: Big 10 football coverage.
Taylor was named as host of the B1G College Countdown show ahead of the ’23 season, as Big 10 football games will be officially broadcasted on the network. She’ll be joined by former NFL quarterback Matt Cassel, Ex-NFL and Ohio State linebacker Joshua Perry and retired Super Bowl-winning fullback with the Seattle Seahawks plus NFL Network personality Michael Robinson, who played at Penn State. Ahmed Fareed will additionally serve as a co-host alongside Taylor.
Taylor, meanwhile, was a part of the pregame festivities leading up to the NFL’s Hall of Fame game played on Thursday evening. She sat down with New York Jets star Sauce Gardner for a one-on-one interview before the Jets took on the Cleveland Browns.
Underdog or overrated, Sauce Gardner is going to keep doing his thing.
Watch the full clip with @mariataylor here: https://t.co/NKy6KUImkV pic.twitter.com/1DJIdKiNc6
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) August 3, 2023