Julie Donaldson | |
|---|---|
 Donaldson in 2012 | |
| Born | February 10, 1978 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Florida |
| Occupations |
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| Employer | Washington Commanders Radio Network |
| Term | 2020–present |
Julie Anne Donaldson (born February 10, 1978) is an American sportscaster who is a host of the radio broadcast team for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). She was the winner of the 2001 Miss Florida USA beauty pageant before becoming a anchor and reporter for several television networks. In 2020, Donaldson became the first full-time on-air female member of an NFL broadcasting team.
Donaldson was born in Jacksonville, Florida on February 10, 1978. She won the Miss Florida USA title at the state pageant held in Orlando, Florida in July 2000.[1] She had previously placed first runner-up to Kristin Ludecke in the previous year's pageant.[2] Donaldson competed in the Miss USA 2001 pageant but did not place.
In 2006, Donaldson joined SportsNet New York at the network's inception. She made numerous reports from various sporting events covered by SNY and hosted Mets Weekly, a weekly program recapping New York Mets games, trades, injuries, and other features. She spent two years working for the network from 2006-2007. Donaldson worked as a TV host for Miami Heat's Heat TV.[3] Prior to that, Donaldson co-hosted Sports Rap on Fox Sports Net Florida. Donaldson also co-hosted Softball 360 and the PBS series Healthy Body Healthy Mind.
In February 2008, Donaldson was hired to cover Boston-based sports for NBC affiliate WHDH-TV. She left the job in December 2008, seeking a start in a new market.[4] In June 2010, Donaldson was employed as a freelance reporter for Comcast SportsNet's mid-atlantic network, covering sports stories in the Washington, D.C. area.[4] Donaldson was promoted to anchor in September 2010.[5] During her decade-long tenure as a reporter, anchor, and host for NBC Sports Washington, Donaldson covered nearly every team, athlete and major sports story in the region, as well as across national and international sporting events. She also served as host of several NFL shows and contributed regularly to their other football programs and coverage. In addition to her work with NBC Sports, Donaldson also held on-air roles for NBC Olympic broadcasts. She held four Olympic assignments as a news host during the Olympic Games in the 2010s.[6]
In July 2020, Donaldson was hired as the Washington Commanders' senior vice president of media and content, which included working as a host for the radio broadcast crew alongside play by play announcer Bram Weinstein and analyst London Fletcher.[7][8] She was the first full-time female member of an NFL broadcast team and was named as one of the most powerful and influential women in sports by Sports Illustrated later that year.[9] Donaldson remained on the radio crew despite her contract as the team's senior vice president of media and content not being renewed in 2023.[10]
In July 2008, Donaldson testified in a Boston Municipal Court hearing that she and two female guests had been assaulted at her apartment on June 27 by her then boyfriend Ivan Lattimore, a professional Slamball player for the Rumble.[11] Lattimore, who was arrested after an incident the previous month and charged with three counts of assault and battery and one count of indecent assault, was ordered to be held without bail until his trial in September, where he pled guilty to the assault charges and was sentenced to serve a year in jail before being sentenced to another year for sending letters to Donaldson after his conviction.[12][13][14][15][16] Lattimore had a prior criminal record with at least two other domestic violence convictions.[17]
In October 2009, Donaldson spoke out for the first time on her own terms about her own personal experience with domestic abuse. Taking part in both the 15th Annual Barbara Ann Campbell Memorial Breakfast for Hubbard House and the Take Back the Night Walk at the University of North Florida, Donaldson shared her message of hope. Donaldson returned to Ponte Vedra Beach after leaving the Boston news station in November of the previous year. She found refuge in her family and from Hubbard House in Jacksonville.[18] In June 2010, Donaldson relocated to Washington, D.C., to work as an anchor and reporter for Comcast SportsNet's daily half-hour news program SportsNite. She left Ponte Vedra in June to freelance and was officially offered the position at Comcast in August.[19]