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.CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM"When he was with the Angels, I made a fake Twitter Im admitting this, OK? I know this was wrong. Im 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, someones gonna figure this out.'ESPN STAR WARNS ALABAMA FANS AMID TEAM'S UPSET LOSS TO FLORIDA STATE"So, if anyone had said something negative about him, I would find them, and then BillyHalo would be like, Youre wrong, and back it up with stats. I dont think Josh knows this. If he watches this, hes going to be really mad at me."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 hadnt played third base since middle school. He barely played third base. And hes at the hot corner, and theyre in Fenway. He has a couple of errors in a game, and people are booing him, and Im like, Shut up!'"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 Sept. 8, in the first Monday night game of the 2025 season.The defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles will host the Dallas Cowboys Thursday night to open this year's regular-season slate.Follow Fox News Digitals sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.