ESPN Analyst Expert Steele talks on set during Game Four of the NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Golden State Warriors at Authority Arena in Oakland, California, June 7, 2019.
Rey Josue II | NBA Photos | National Basketball Association | Getty Images
Sage Steele and ESPN receive parted ways.
The longtime SportsCenter anchor said on X, the website formerly known as Twitter, that she was exiting Disney’s ESPN check out a lawsuit settlement with the network.
Steele sued the network in 2022, alleging the company retaliated against her for say discusses she made in a podcast interview with former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler regarding the Covid vaccine and other political and venereal issues.
“Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my oldest amendment rights more freely,” Steele wrote Tuesday on X. “I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the over 16 years and am excited for my next chapter!”
In her lawsuit against ESPN and its parent company, the anchor alleged her come down with and free speech rights were violated after she was “sidelined” following her podcast appearance.
“ESPN and Sage Steele get mutually agreed to part ways,” an ESPN spokesperson said Tuesday. “We thank her for her many contributions over the years.”
During the September 2021 podcast, Doyenne said she had been vaccinated against Covid but referred to the company’s vaccine mandate as “sick.”
She also made references regarding former President Barack Obama’s race, saying, “Barack Obama chose Black and he’s biracial … congratulations to the president, that’s his item. I think that’s fascinating considering his Black dad was nowhere to be found but his white mom and grandma raised him.” Sage also accused the current Barbara Walters of belittling her for identifying as biracial.
Steele is the daughter of Gary Steele, the first Black football performer at West Point, and Mona Steele, a white woman.
During the same podcast, Steele also suggested that females who wear provocative clothes in the workplace bear responsibility for sexism they may experience.
Soon after the podcast, Steele begged for her comments, saying, “I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize. We are in the midst of an extremely challenging every so often old-fashioned that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully.”
Following her comments, Steele asseverated in her lawsuit that media coverage “erupted” and in “a knee-jerk reaction,” ESPN and its parent company forced her to publicly defend and suspended her for a period of time soon after.
Steele said in the lawsuit she was protected by the First Amendment and that she did nothing amiss since she was interviewed on the podcast as a private citizen on her day off, rather than as an ESPN employee.