Acting

Steve Wyche

Born May 28, 1966, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Steve Wyche grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where he played quarterback, running back, and outside linebacker in high school before playing college football at the University of Missouri. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Howard University in 1989, launching a distinguished career in sports journalism. Wyche began his professional career covering high school and small college sports for the Richmond Times-Dispatch from 1989 to 1990. He subsequently worked for the Miami Herald covering NFL, NBA, and collegiate teams, and The Washington Post covering the NBA and Washington Wizards. His four-year tenure as beat writer for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution covering the Atlanta Falcons established him as a trusted NFL insider. He also served as a correspondent for ESPN and ESPN2 during the 2007 season before joining NFL Media in 2008 as a reporter and senior writer for NFL.com. Throughout his career, Wyche has broken several major stories, including Michael Jordan's departure from the Chicago Bulls to join the Washington Wizards and Michael Vick's dogfighting case. His most impactful scoop came on August 27, 2016, when he published the first detailed account of Colin Kaepernick's national anthem protest. After observing Kaepernick sitting during the anthem following a San Francisco 49ers practice at Levi's Stadium and monitoring his social media posts about racial injustice, Wyche interviewed the quarterback, who explained he chose not to stand to protest a country that oppresses Black people and people of color. The story sparked a national conversation about police brutality, systemic racism, and athlete activism.