Sage Steele departs ESPN following lawsuit settlement

Sage Steele and ESPN person parted ways.

The longtime SportsCenter anchor said connected X, the website formerly known arsenic Twitter, that she was exiting Disney's ESPN pursuing a suit colony with the network.

Steele sued the web successful 2022, alleging the institution retaliated against her for comments she made successful a podcast interrogation with erstwhile NFL backmost Jay Cutler regarding the Covid vaccine and different governmental and societal issues.

"Having successfully settled my lawsuit with ESPN/Disney, I person decided to permission truthful I tin workout my archetypal amendment rights much freely," Steele wrote connected X connected Tuesday. "I americium grateful for truthful galore fantastic experiences implicit the past 16 years and americium excited for my adjacent chapter!"

In her suit against ESPN and its genitor company, the anchor alleged her declaration and escaped code rights were violated aft she was "sidelined" pursuing her podcast appearance.

"ESPN and Sage Steele person mutually agreed to portion ways," an ESPN spokesperson said Tuesday. "We convey her for her galore contributions implicit the years."

During the Sept. 2021 podcast, Sage said she had been vaccinated against Covid but referred to the company's vaccine mandate arsenic "sick."

She besides made comments regarding erstwhile President Barack Obama's contention — saying, "Barack Obama chose Black and he's biracial ... congratulations to the president, that's his thing. I deliberation that's fascinating considering his Black dada was obscurity to beryllium recovered but his achromatic ma and grandma raised him." — and accused the precocious Barbara Walters of belittling her for identifying arsenic biracial.

Steele is the girl of Gary Steele, the archetypal Black shot subordinate astatine West Point, and Mona Steele, a achromatic woman.

During the aforesaid podcast, Steele besides suggested that women who deterioration provocative apparel successful the workplace carnivore work for sexism they whitethorn experience.

Soon aft the podcast, Steele apologized for her comments: "I cognize my caller comments created contention for the company, and I apologize. We are successful the midst of an highly challenging clip that impacts each of us, and it's much captious than ever that we pass constructively and thoughtfully."

Following her comments, Steele said successful her lawsuit, media sum "erupted" and successful "a knee-jerk reaction," ESPN and its genitor institution forced her to publically apologize and suspended her for a play of clip soon after.

Steele said successful the suit she was protected by the First Amendment and that she did thing incorrect since she was interviewed connected the podcast arsenic a backstage national connected her time off, alternatively than arsenic an ESPN employee.