When former MLB player Josh Rutledge became the target of criticism, his wife, ESPN reporter Laura Rutledge, decided to take matters into her own hands.

Instead of directly addressing the naysayers, Rutledge acknowledged taking a less conspicuous approach. She created a fake social media profile to confront her husband’s critics.

The negative commentary Rutledge addressed likely surfaced between 2012 and 2017, when Josh competed in the major leagues. He made his MLB debut with the Colorado Rockies and later played for the Boston Red Sox. He also had a stint with the San Francisco Giants in 2018.

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Laura Rutledge of ESPN and Baseball Player Josh Rutledge attend the Party At The Playoff at The GlassHouse on Jan. 5, 2019 in San Jose, California.   (Steve Jennings/Getty Images for ESPN)

“When he was with the Angels, I made a fake Twitter — I’m admitting this, OK? I know this was wrong. I’m not doing it ever since,” Rutledge said during an appearance on the “Marchand Sports Media” podcast. 

“But this was a one-time thing, and the name was BillyHalo76 or something. And BillyHalo only tweeted positive things about Josh Rutledge, and then the occasional Mike Trout tweet, because I was like, ‘shoot, someone’s gonna figure this out.'”

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“So if anyone had said something negative about him, I would find them and then BillyHalo would be like, ‘you’re wrong,’ and back it up with stats. I don’t think Josh knows this. If he watches this, he’s going to be really mad at me.”

Josh Rutledge #19 of the San Francisco Giants bats in the spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Scottsdale Stadium on Feb. 26, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

Rutledge spent time with the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in 2014. He never appeared in a game with the big league club and was traded to the Red Sox in 2015.

Laura also recalled the personal turmoil she experienced when her husband was booed during a game.

“I really struggled with it,” Laura said of criticism aimed at her husband. “There were times when he played for the Red Sox … they had him at third base, and he hadn’t played third base since middle school. He barely played third base. And he’s at the hot corner and they’re in Fenway, he has a couple of errors in a game and people are booing him and I’m like, ‘shut up!'”

Josh Rutledge #19 of the San Francisco Giants warms up for the spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Scottsdale Stadium on Feb. 26, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona.   (Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

Laura will return to ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” broadcasts this season. She also hosts studio shows focused on the NFL and college football for the network. The Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8, in the first Monday night game of the 2025 season.

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The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will host the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night to open this year’s regular-season slate.

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