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Sage Steele settles lawsuit, to leave ESPN after 16 years

IMG_6598by:Nick Kosko08/15/23

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(Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Bullseye Event Group )

ESPN’s Sage Steele revealed she settled her lawsuit with the Disney company for an undisclosed sum and will leave the network after 16 years.

The SportsCenter anchor sued the company in April 2022 over allegations her First Amendment  and Connecticut’s free speech rights were violated amid comments about the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. ESPN had a mandate for all employees.

After reportedly receiving a settlement offer in June, which wasn’t accepted at the time, Steele and ESPN came to an agreement this time.

“Life update,” Steele wrote on Twitter. “Having successfully settled my case with ESPN/Disney, I have decided to leave so I can exercise my first amendment rights more freely.  I am grateful for so many wonderful experiences over the past 16 years and am excited for my next chapter! #SteeleStrong.”

A trial was originally scheduled for March 2024.

Steele alleged she was retaliated against after she made comments on Jay Cutler’s podcast in September of 2021 where she called Disney’s vaccine mandate “sick and scary.”

Steele’s comments about former President Barack Obama identifying as black also drew criticism. 

That’s where Steele claimed she was suspended by ESPN for two days and “was forced to issue an apology” under threat of termination, despite the network denying her suspension, per Front Office Sports.

Sage Steele settles lawsuit, but set to leave ESPN

Steele’s original apology read as followed: “I know my recent comments created controversy for the company, and I apologize. We are in the midst of an extremely challenging time that impacts all of us, and it’s more critical than ever that we communicate constructively and thoughtfully.”

Steele, 50, joined ESPN in March of 2007 after initially turning down an offer three years earlier amid her second pregnancy.

She graduated from Indiana University in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in sports communication and was also the commencement speaker at the 2015 graduation.