About Erin Andrews
Erin Jill Andrews (born May 4, 1978 in Lewiston, Maine) is an American sportscaster, popular among male sports fans for her beauty. In 2007 and 2008, she was voted "America's Sexiest Sportscaster" by Playboy magazine. Andrews became an advocate for tougher anti-stalking laws after a high profile incident in 2009 when videos showing her naked in a hotel room were taken without her knowledge and posted on the internet.
Andrews was born in Lewiston, Maine to Stephen and Paula Andrews. She moved to Tampa, Florida as a young girl when her father, a six-time Emmy Award-winner, began working as an investigative journalist for WFLA-TV. After attending Bloomingdale High School near Tampa, Andrews graduated in 2000 from the University of Florida with a degree in telecommunications. While there, she was a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority. Andrews was also a member of the Dazzlers, the Gator basketball dance team, from 1997–2000. She also has a younger sister Kendra Andrews who is a professional dancer. Her sister appeared in the movie Step Up 3D.
In 2000, Andrews began work as a freelance reporter with FSN Florida. In 2001 she moved on to the Sunshine Network, serving as a Tampa Bay Lightning reporter, and in 2002 she served as a studio host and part-time reporter for Turner Sports, covering the Atlanta Braves and college football for TBS and the Atlanta Thrashers and Hawks for Turner South.
In May 2004, she became a reporter for ESPN's National Hockey League coverage. Since then, she has served as sideline reporter for their college football Saturday telecast as well as their Saturday Primetime and Big Ten college basketball coverage. In 2005, her job expanded to include Major League Baseball sideline reporting. She also reports on Great Outdoor Games, men's college baseball, and the College World Series.
On July 8, 2009, Andrews was struck on the chin by a foul ball hit by Alex Cora of the New York Mets. She was rushed to the hospital, but she only suffered bruises.
It was announced that starting in late 2010, Andrews will host ESPN's College Gameday from 9:00am to 10:00am on Saturdays on ESPNU and be a Good Morning America correspondent.
On July 16, 2009, a video posted on the site "NSFW POA" hinted that a naked blond woman videotaped through a hotel peephole was a popular sports personality. In the video, the woman was seen curling her hair unclothed in front of the mirror. The next day, Andrews authorized her attorney to issue a statement via PRN news writer verifying that she was the woman in the video, and that the video was made without her knowledge or consent. The video was removed from sites that had posted it and an investigation was launched. This incident was also heavily reported in the international media.
On September 11, 2009, Andrews appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in what Andrews called her "first and last interview" about the situation. Andrews described the situation as a "nightmare", and stated that at the time she discovered the video she believed her career would end.
On October 2, 2009, the FBI announced the arrest of a Chicago, Illinois area suspect. Michael David Barrett, a 47 year old divorced father, was charged with interstate stalking for taking the videos, posting the videos online and trying to sell them to celebrity Web site TMZ.com. FBI agents matched information in the e-mail to Barrett. On December 15, 2009, Barrett pleaded guilty to the interstate stalking charge. He was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.
In July 2010, USA Today reported that Erin Andrews has sued Radisson, Marriott, and the stalker.
Andrews is working with US Senator Amy Klobuchar to enact a new federal anti-stalking law.
In April 2010, it was revealed that Andrews had been receiving email death threats since September 2009. The FBI was notified and security around her was tightened. It has been reported that the e-mails were sent to The Dan Patrick Show.
On March 1, 2010, it was announced that Andrews would be a celebrity contestant on Dancing with the Stars for its tenth season. The season premiered on Monday, March 22, 2010. Her partner was Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Andrews was one of three contestants to make it to the finals, where she placed third.
